Like a Wave
by A Feather of Pepa
Summary: You know, sometimes changes are needed for the better. Of course, Nigel can't do this alone- he'll be needing assistance from former enemies. And when adoption is thrust upon the foul cockatoo, will his life soften up? And will he be there to face the danger for his new found daughter, or will they all be forever smuggled to a foreign location on Earth?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Emotionless

I sat quietly, watching the intense reflection of the moon ripple on one of Rio's famous ponds. My long, dull white feathers ruffled in a gentle breeze, causing me to snap out of my daze and leap into the air, hovering safely from the ground, my hardened heart pounding. In my anguish I pulled myself together, ashamed that such a small thing had spooked me so much.

Why must I react so thoroughly now, why must I just begin to feel emotions after all these years of violance and crime? Why now, why at all? I certainly didn't ask for it. But that wasn't the worst part. Memories flashed before my narrowed eyes. The sight of Blu and his companion trapped in the cage filled me with such rage I almost screeched out loud.

My bones shook and vibrated. This was what anger was, what _true_ anger was, not some false, irrational feeling that appeared on my ugly face. The thought of other helpless-flightless- birds like them made me want to attack the one who put them there. Me. But that, _that_ was what made me so sure I wanted nothing more but to live life to extent, to feel what is supposed to be in my heart. True emotions, so I could never be lost on my path. To never make the same mistake.

I was glad I left my parent's nest so long ago, and never saw them again. That way they would not see what I have become.

Like a gentle wave rolling on sand, the anger was washed away, replaced with something else I could not recognize. It felt strange, like silence, but at the same time it felt like some sort of commotion was coming... It roared furiously in my head, and with that, my feathers ruffled again with unease. _That's_ what it was! Unease, fear. I felt fear when I was replaced with a parakeet. What would happen to me then? Well, I'm sure you all saw what happened.

Found by the thugs, then stole pretty birds and helped sell them. But after that, why was I just beginning to feel what's right and what's wrong? It was so strange, so abnormal! Or was it? Maybe... it was supposed to come after. Maybe before, I was blocking out the guilt and pain, and the only emotion I could ever express were irrational. Was it all because of the thugs? Or something more, far back? Perhaps it was when I was fired?

My thinking led me to one new discovery-or rather, a new emotion, when you come to think of it-content. Sitting here alone, in the dark of night, made me feel comfortable, warm and delighted at the sight of stars. They shone in the night but ran into the blinding dawn, disappearing from sight. Though they left a trail of stardust. I hadn't felt such wonder in ages- literally. Can stars like these cause miracles? I close my eyes and breathe deeply.

Of course. But they can't take away the pain that's left. The guilt, the caterwauling or the Burden. The Burden is what I have for the worst of me. It was basically this feeling of being watched all the time, with no rest or peace. It was what drove me insane, and I think it started when I first killed birds... I let go of my breath and released it to the wind; my feathers had begun to prickle again, and the Burden started.

Huddling close with my head tucked into my wings for comfort, I shut my brown eyes and rocked back and forth. I was scared again, and then it dawned on me that when I was emotionless before, the anguish and unease built up and somehow attacked me tonight. I should have really just stuck with my old home instead of taking out my anger on the brazillian birds, you know? Revenge can only lead to more revenge. While I sat shivering with the feeling of a million pairs of eyes staring at me, I spoke to the Burden.

_Please_, I pleaded inwardly. _Tell me what you want! _This question would usually go unanswered, but today _is_ by far the strangest of days.

It did answer, and when it did, I flinched violently.

**Change**.

_I'm trying to! Why point out the obvious?_ I spat back. No response, just an eerie silence left. I sighed wearily, blinking my brown eyes in sleepiness. _Ignore them_, I told myself. _I guess our clue has been given_. I drew a quick breath. I knew what I needed to do. But I was going to need some help. To whom could I go to? Certainly not Blu, nor Jewel, not Nico or Pedro either. They definitely wouldn't forgive me, nor will other birds.

But who was forgiving, gentle, helpful and knows to handle emotions? Who was wise and understanding, peaceful and intelligent? I didn't know if anyone can be all those at the same time. If there was anyone-anyone- out there, in Rio or Ontario, I would travel far and wide, if that was what it would take. I'll undergo a wave of different emotions, that's for sure. But I had never felt so determined in my life.

With that said, I stretched open my wings and took off, flying to reach a nearby tropical tree. I needed to rest tonight. Tomorrow, I would go looking.

Tomorrow, I would experience hope.

* * *

**I know it's in Nigel's POV, gbut in the rest of the chapters it will be narrator POV. Please review and tell me what you think of it!**


	2. Chapter 2: Annoyance!

Chapter Two: Annoyance! 

WHAP!

"Gah!" Nigel squawked, awakening from his deep slumber. A stone had crashed right into his eye, causing him to bend backwards and desperately flap his worn wings to break the fall. The tropical mango tree branch he was previously sitting in cast only a small shadow before the cockatoo's talon's loosened their grip and he slid, hopelessly, plummeting into the forest depths below.

There were giggles and snorts of laughter as an invisible pair of birds watched Nigel gracefully flip over and land steadily on the ground. The white cockatoo looked around furiously, searching for his attacker, and caught a flash of black and yellow swoop past while pumping rocks at Nigel's face. The chuckling continued as he toppled over, flat on his back and struggling to get up. It took a moment, but Nigel recognized the laughter to be of a chick's, and suspected a prank.

He smirked. _Yes, let's see how they handle the wrath of Nigel!_ The cockatoo raised his eyes and gazed at his surroundings. He was obviously on the leafy forest floor, the sunlight dazzling through the citrus green leaves of mango and orange trees. He had to squint his eyes to just barely see two baby toucans perched on the tree straight ahead, staring at him with clear amusement. Searching his surroundings, he spotted one of the rocks thrown at him.

Nigel reached out one foot to pick it up, he flapped his wings hard to hover above the ground, the two chicks watching his every move. He prepared to throw it back, when their stare down was interrupted by a fierce call.

"Adison! Alexander! GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!" The two mischevious toucans exchanged a worried look and then looked down at Nigel, who lazily gestured to the hollow on the other side of their tree as if to say, _go on, I'm not stopping you_. The toucan who called to them sounded female, with a rough ring to it. Nigel guessed she was a bit tough with her kids; it's why he let them off easy.

_I won't be easy on you next time, though!_

The chicks fluttered down to the forest floor and scampered down the hollow, without a second glance back. The cockatoo stared quizzically. Wouldn't they be more cautious of him? Or maybe Rio birds get along with each other with ease? He shrugged off the confusion, telling himself that it didn't matter, that since they woke him up he might as well look for help.

Turning his back on the hollow, Nigel froze as he heard a vicious screech and a moment later pinned into the ground, his beak dug deeply in dirt. Strong feet gripped Nigel's wings as the attacker flipped the cockatoo over to face him. Grunting, Nigel blinked his eyes open. He stared into the face of a _very_ familiar toucan, looking quite livid. Big Nose snarled. "You! Just what do you think you're doing so close to my nest, Nigel?" Nigel felt a wave of panic wash over him.

But he managed to keep his voice calm. "I don't know, if you let me _up_, I can tell you," muttered Nigel sarcastically. The grip tightened, causing him to wheeze. "Just let me up," Nigel told the toucan, "I'm not exactly dangerous right now." Rafael stared down at the strangly acting cockatoo. Was it some sort of trick? If it was a trick, then why was Nigel walking _away_ from the nest, wings twitching in annoyance?

The light bulb lit up. Rafael smiled knowingly and fluttered off the targeted white cockatoo, offering a wing to pull Nigel up. "The kids?" His question was confirmed when Nigel angrily sneered. The toucan laughed softly. "Good thing that Alexander wasn't in the mood for feathers!" The white bird's eyes widened with surprise, peering over Rafael's shoulder and into the foresty hollow to see if a little bird was trying to hunt him down.

"Yes. Good thing." Nigel wasn't exactly full of words when he heard that, but he _did_ explain what happened with the rocks. Rafael chuckled when Nigel told him that a rock suddenly whipped his eye, causing him to wake up but fall backwards out of a mango tree. The cockatoo finished telling the toucan about the angry call, and assumed that it was their mother. "She seemed _pretty_ tough, though," Nigel finished with a shake of his head. "Reminds me of _my_ mother."

"_That_ would certainly explain a few things," smirked Rafael, watching Nigel glare at him in annoyance. The toucan shrugged. "What? I think it really would." Frowning, Rafael intended to ask the white cockatoo something but was interrupted by a friendly call-out. A splash of bright blue flew overhead and Jewel, the blue macaw, playfully tackled Rafael to the ground. "Hey!" He protested, "I already have enough kids! Now I have to have a big blue one as well?" Nigel turned away wearily. Right now was the absolute worst time to be recognized.

Fortunately, the toucan caught his drift. "Listen, Jewel," Sighed Rafael, "It was nice to see you again, really. But I'm a little busy, looking for mangos for my family. You don't mind, do you?" Jewel shook her head. She hopped off of her friend and glanced over at Nigel, who could feel her curious gaze burning into his back. It took all of his will just to not turn around.

"Who's your friend?"

"A shy guy. Micel." Nigel winced at his old owner's name. _Please don't turn me around, please don't turn me around, please don't-_ With his luck, he'd be discovered anyway. That was the thing with villains.

Jewel's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Uh-huh..." she studied Nigel's back and head. "I could recognize those yellow feathers anywhere, Nigel." (see?) She hissed angrily. "What are you doing here, in Rio? And why are you talking to Rafael?" Nigel slowly turned to face Jewel, whose feathers were fluffed up to make her look twice her size. She was _furious_.

"I... can't exactly answer the first question. But I was speaking with Rafael because his chicks were attacking me with rocks. Funny how they look all nice, but turn into little beasts." Nigel chuckled to himself, while Jewel eyed him with a look of disbelief. Nigel stared back, annoyed. "What? You think I'm weird just because I'm not evil anymore?" He hissed at her with the utmost frustration. He _hated_ it when birds and humans gave him that look, even on Fly Hard.

Jewel blinked once in surprise, and then again with understanding. "I-well-I can't say I didn't mean it that way. I guess I kind of did." She looked and her right wing in her embarrassment. "You're just... different. Not weird." She was just surprised about how Nigel carried out a casual conversation without trying to kill her, but no bird could blame her. She and Blu had been through a lot with this suspicious cockatoo. It was the fact that everytime he had seen her he put her in a headlock. It was pretty unforgettable.

But this was like a reflection of Nigel. Like he replaced himself by going through a mirror. Like a wave washed the evil away. _The past should stay in the past_, Jewel reminded herself. _It doesn't mean I have to trust him, but if Rafael sees a difference in his behaviour, so will I. Besides, he was pretty insane before. He may not have known what he was doing, except listening to the smugglers who stole us. Hey!_ Jewel widened her turquoise eyes, _I nearly forgot about that terrifying song!_

And then came the snide smirk. "_I'm evil; I'll fill your cheese balls with weevils_," She sang teasingly. Nigel's mouth dropped in shock, but then he flush and regained a cold look. But she continued... "_I poop on people and blame it on seagulls_!" She stopped, looked at the broken expression of ice on Nigel's face and burst out laughing. "You-" She said between unstoppable guffaws, "couldn't possibly know- how hard I was laughing on the inside- when you first- sang that!"

The white cockatoo stared sarcastically. "Sure. The next time I sing that song, I'll be sure to take note of the frightened and disgusted look on your face. And the next time will be _never in a million years_." Nigel cocked his head to one side. "Besides. I do not really take interest in scaring birds anymore. It makes me feel heartless." His face scrunched up, Nigel stared at the blue macaw. "I know what you're thinking. 'don't talk to _me_ about heartless, Nigel.'"

"Whoa, wait just a second-"

Rafael stepped between them. "If I may interrupt, I'd say you two birds have been arguing enough. It shouldn't matter what happened before. What matters is now." The black toucan turned to face Nigel. "Now, may I speak with you alone for a moment?" The white cockatoo would've said no if it weren't for the tone Rafael said it in. Instead he nodded. Quickly, Rafael stretched a black wing over Nigel and guided him away from Jewel. When he spoke, it didn't surprise the cockatoo at all.

"I can see you've changed, but why? How?" The fluster of words didn't matter.

The white bird stared at the toucan with a simple smile. "Well, it all started with the plane, I guess. You... were... you know, trying to escape." Nigel's eyes lowered in hurt and shame. Rafael put a wing around him and told him to take his time. But he pushed himself. "I was in the front, with the smugglers. When the doors came down, I burst through another door seperating the front from the back. I attacked the first bird I saw, which happened to be Blu. Then Jewel attacked _me_ and told me to get off him. I threw her to the side."

"Now, maybe it was my fault, but she slammed into the wall and a cage fell on top of her. She broke her left wing. Blu grabbed something with his foot-I think it was a _fire_ extinguisher- and it had a rope attachment. He slid it onto my foot when I pinned him down, and right then and there it flew back towards the open door. It smashed through the window and I was in the air, until it stopped working and the plane caught up. I was thrust into the wings and got wounded. I got what I deserved."

"But the thing is, before all of that happened, I was completely emotionless. I didn't feel pain. And as I hit the wings, pain exploded all over me! And I was left wondering why it hurt so much. The three months after that, my feathers grew back from the injury, but apparently the emotions I'd blocked for so long attacked me last night." When Nigel spoke of the feathers, he was careful not to mention the monkey. "I'm trying to change, to learn my emotions so I can read them more clearly. For instance, when you kids attacked me I felt strangely frustrated and disturbed."

Rafael smiled in a fatherly way. "That's certainly helpful. Thank you. And as for the frustration and disturbance, it appears my children have taught one new emotion that's explainable."

"And what's that?"

"Annoyance."


	3. Chapter 3: Hope

Chapter Three: Hope.

(**A/N: sorry, you guys. I forgot how to spell Marcel's name in the last chapters! :P**)

"Are you sure this is okay?" were the first few words that came out of Nigel's mouth. He and Rafael were flying about, searching through Rio's forest for Blu's tree. Most of Brazilian's birds, Nigel had realized, had hollows in their trees. Being born in Argentina, and later years transferred to Rio for Fly Hard, the white cockatoo had no idea how all of these birds lived. He'd heard singing in the morning, and thought it to be a wake-up song. Truthfully, Nigel was also there for Blu's kidnapping as a chick, but was new at it. Now, though, that was long ago. Fifteen years, even.

Like the toucan said, that was the past. What mattered was what lay ahead of them, not the mess that was behind. Nigel sighed. Why had he smuggled birds? Was it jealousy? Or was it because he'd been replaced with a parakeet that was colourful and indifferent to other Brazilian birds? _That parakeet's name was Sunshine_. Nigel thought with disgust. _He had such a girly name! What was his owner thinking? She'd probably been so desperate for a girl parakeet that she named him Sunshine. _Nigel couldn't help but sneak a chortle.

"Nigel, watch out!" Rafael's warning came too late. The once-famous bird collided with a mango tree branch and for a split second, he saw stars. Still airborne, Nigel shook his head to clear it and gave the sympathetic toucan a reassuring smile. Rolling his eyes, Rafael waited for Nigel to catch up before he muttered, "You know, you really shouldn't daydream like that! You could have knocked yourself out, or wounded your head, or flipped backwards and landed on your back _again_, or-"

"Are you like this with your children?" Nigel intervened. He couldn't help it. Rafael was kind of losing himself with, erm, _memories_, you could say- and he wasn't snapping out of it very easily. In any case, he could also be a very worrisome bird who cares for everyone, like Nigel's father. At that moment, spearing through the air of a jungle, watching the citrus fruits dangle from their trees on the breeze, Nigel felt a little downhearted. His father was ill, from what he'd heard passed around.

Rafael looked startled. "Where did that question come from?" He asked Nigel, who was looking forward in an absent minded fashion. He received no response from the once again checked-out bird, yet rolled his eyes playfully. "Man! You're going to kill yourself one day." Rafael shook his head and looked down, spotting Blu's hollow. It was neat, with vines stretching in and out of the home, and inside there was a nest made of twigs and blue feathers for comfort. Three blue bundles of feathers were snoozing peacefully with Blu watching over them from the edge of the hollowed tree.

"Hey, Blu!" Rafael called, hoping to catch the blue macaw's attention. As soon as Nigel heard the words fall from Rafael's mouth, he swerved his direction of flight to the sky so he could not be seen, and watched the toucan converse with who his enemy had once been. Nigel could not hear what the two birds were saying to each other, but he picked up words like "visitor" and "hollowed tree" and knew instantly that they were speaking of him. After all, he'd needed a home to stay in Rio. It wouldn't be much, but it was a start.

Rafael and Blu spoke quickly and quietly, because of the sleeping chicks. Blu was gesturing to the south of his nest, towards Lake Juma, of which Nigel followed the gaze to find a peaceful willow tree with leaves dangling all the way to the ground. It was near lakeshore. The cockatoo smiled at the scene; since the wind was going east that day, making the leaves bristling to the side of the lake, and if you were to look directly at it, you would think that the tree was growing from the water. (If it weren't for the hill itself it grew in.)

It had just come to his attention that there was a hole in the bark, not to far from the ground. Nigel guessed that it was another hollow tree. _But then again, what would Rio do without them humming birds, eh? _He smiled, although he also knew that not all of Rio's birds lived in hollows.

Some of them lived on the branches, some of them in the city in buildings, and some probably didn't have a home due to their lack of settling. Some birds just never want to stay in one place.

His lack of consideration soon became noticeable, as birds turned to look at the strange cockatoo that was staring at a willow tree far off while flying in the exact same position. A small yellow canary stopped to look as well, telling his red crested cardinal friend that there was something familiar about the bird. Nigel snapped out of his daze and stared down, spotting the little canary and his companion, and was completely dumbstruck for what he was supposed to do. _Why_ _was he recognized everywhere he went?_

Instead of reacting to them, who sat themselves on a coconut tree branch while trying to remember who he was, Nigel shook his head and began to take his direction of flight towards the tree. For a distraction he stared at the sky, which was turning a bright orange, and gazed at the reflecting colours on the tree. The leaves seemed to be awaiting his arrival, and were welcoming at the sight of the sunset. As he reached the first branch he came to, he climbed the rest of the way to the hole.

_A few branches away_, Nigel thought painstakingly. It had been a pretty decent (but exhausting) day.

He clawed his way to the last, peering inside the willow tree hole. It was a pretty good sized hole; he confessed to himself, at least a good enough one for him to fit though. He'd heard people proclaim that he was rather large for a cockatoo, though he always shrugged it off. It did go overboard when some birds even called him obese, but that was when he would hiss at them menacingly and make them shut up.

Placing a cautious foot inside, he found his way in with ease and was completely taken aback on how large the hollow looked on the inside. Judging the tree from afar made him believe that it was fairly small, but now, when he saw what it truly was like, he was overwhelmed with a feeling of shock and surprise. But in a good way, he knew this must have been bewilderment. One emotion down, who knows how many more... He thought with a tiny careless shrug.

"Enjoying your new hollow?"

Nigel didn't have to turn around to recognize Rafael's warm voice. The toucan was smiling at him contentedly while landing at the hole's grip, watching the cockatoo oversee the surroundings of his newly-founded home. Nigel gratefully nodded, his back still to Rafael, but one more exhausting thought crossed his mind. _What about a nest? I can't rest yet_. He groaned, finally turning around to meet Rafael's knowing gaze, but it was reassuring, like he was going to say something encouraging.

Nevertheless, Nigel wasn't wrong.

"It's not that hard to build a nest." Rafael told him, though cautiously, remembering that Nigel, like Blu, had relied on humans most of his life. Nigel always had a place to stay with Marcel, and the other two stupid smugglers. He rolled his eyes at the memory. They were thieves, and brothers, born on the street with no real education. They were threatened by police to go to the orphanage, but had each other's back while denying that chance. In the end, the education lack led them to another boy, Marcel, and stuck all together and planned to smuggle birds when they were older.

"Here. I'll help you with the nesting." That was the last thing that was expected from Rafael, but then again, he was a rather nurturing bird. The toucan's glistening black feathers ruffled as he turned around and launched himself into the air, becoming airborne. Nigel just stood there, staring at Rafael in confusion. Rafael smiled. "Well? Are you coming?"

It took a moment, but Nigel managed to form the question in words. "Why... How... Why are you being so kind to me? I know that the past must remain where it is, but seeing that I am a bird murderer; wouldn't you rather be willing to let me fend for myself? To maybe even drive me out?"

Nigel couldn't have realized this before, but this bird was full of compassion and love for everyone. He could have done all those nasty things. He didn't. Nigel could've let that monkey die, falling from the sky, and tell the rest that they had to do what he wanted or they would end the same way. He didn't anyway. Why? Because. He couldn't have. He wished he'd felt that way about killing birds before he did so.

Rafael gave Nigel a look of fondness, in that fatherly way he did with Blu and Jewel. "That's a whole new level for you, Nigel. It's not what I wanted for you up here," he pointed to his head, "It's what I felt was right down here." While flapping his wings, he patted the left side of his chest, and the white cockatoo knew Rafael was talking about the brain and the heart. He also knew that they were two very important things. Very _strong_ things.

The toucan interrupted his thoughts again. "So! Are we going?" Without waiting for an answer, Rafael began to dive down into the more jungle part of forest. Hesitantly, Nigel followed. He had felt a flicker of emotion, and pictured it sort of like a ball of grand light. He was chasing it, nearing it everyday. He knew what this must have been.

Hope.

* * *

"Did you ever find Nigel after the plane crashed?" Marcel asked, leaning back in his chair, back at the old abandoned house that they used to smuggle birds. His feet were piled on the rotting wooden desk. And although his eyes were hidden by the sunglasses, he seemed rather scary to both the men standing in front of him. The chubby one-Tipa-stared at Marcel with a hint of pity.

"No, boss. I think he made it though, because there wasn't a corpse." He looked down with a furrowed eye brow look. Then came a smile, and he glanced back up at Marcel with a glimmer of hope. "Does that mean we'll get another birdie, one less frightening?"

BIG MISTAKE.

"Frightening!" Marcel scoffed, ripping the glasses off his face in his own fury. He glared harshly at Tipa, who cowered back slightly. "That was the entire point, besides his intelligence, you idiot! We needed Nigel to back people off! And since he hasn't come back, which I'm sure he's capable of, I DID smuggle a few average intelligent birds." Marcel smiled selfishly, eyeing the fearful Tipa, who was practically hiding behind Armando. "They're eagles. Since we have two smugglers short, I managed to break into our friend Tulio's bird sanctuary to get three of these things. They're apparently really rare." At this, Armando stared at his boss in disbelief.

"THREE? How do you know they might turn on us?" The dark skinned man ran his fingers through his frizzled hair. "Just how much might have you thought this through?"

Tipa was more concerned with what they looked like. But looks can be deceiving, which was a rather common saying that passed around in Rio. "Can we see them now? Can we?" The grown man hopped around like a little girl.

Marcel looked at both of them and decided to ignore Armando's comment, and answered to Tipa. "Of course." he glanced over to the old room where smuggled birds were kept, and seeing the open door he called to them. "Abina, bring out Sagar and Silviene!" shouted the Brazilian man, listening for obedient squawks. The first who flew out of the room and landed on Marcel's shoulder was the female, Abina.

She was a white tailed eagle with big blue eyes, brown-black wings with unusual purple florescent designs running down her spine and across the wings. Her tail feathers were obviously white, but the top of her head to the bottom of her neck was pure black. Despite her confident appearance, her eyes flickered with doubt occasionally.

Her brothers were what kept her in line most of the time. Sagar came second, looking slightly different because his special patterns were green. Other than that, he was a copy of his sibling.

And lastly, Silviene appeared from bursting through the door. He had no designs, and was, besides the lack of color, identical to his brother and sister. Both males knew their job and couldn't possibly think of fooling around when on it, whereas Abina tried to lighten things up. Most of the time it worked, but when they were smuggling, they often told her to be quiet.

"So uh, what're we going to do with them? Smuggle birds, or steal Nigel back?" Tipa shyly questioned, stepping out from behind his brother. Marcel waved a hand of dismissal, and the three eagles took off and flew out the open window above his chair. He then smiled.

"We don't need Nigel anymore. With these three hawks, we'll have all of the birds in Rio."


	4. Chapter 4: Watch Out!

Chapter Four: Watch Out!

_It was dark, warm, and comfortable. Nigel was listening to voices coming from a little far off, but when he tried moving toward them, they would appear in a different direction. His vision was completely black, disabling him from seeing these two-or three-mysterious birds. He knew that every once in a while, they would peer at him worriedly, because he saw a glint in both pairs of eyes. Nigel closed his eyes and listened to the dear voices that were concerned for him. They sounded familiar... A deep male voice spoke first. "He is too young. Why must you come to us?"_

_At first, Nigel was wondering why the male bird said that he was too young. Nigel looked down at himself but saw nothing but vast darkness, and it was starting to get to him, so he bit back a hiss of frustration. Unfortunately, the male bird's companion heard him stifling it and glanced once again in his direction. "Maybe we should let him out." It was a female, with a soft voice. Nigel knew nothing more of what happened next, but heard a flapping of wings and knew that wherever the female bird was, she was coming to help him join in on the conversation._

_"Will it be okay for him, to hear us?" A third voice burst; another male. Nigel resisted a snort of contempt and mused. _You should have considered that before, _He thought with a growl. The female reassured the other male and suddenly, gentle talons lifted Nigel up. For the first time, the wall of darkness was pulled away, and he looked at his new surroundings while being lifted in the air. An explosion of light burst at him, and Nigel squinted through it to see a fire put on in a fireplace. The two male birds were standing by it, staring at Nigel omniously. Their shadows cast out long behind them._

_"Aah, there's our little hero!" The one that spoke last teased. He was a parrot, with colours ranging from red to green to blue, making him appear to be a living rainbow. The white mask circling his eyes complimented the blue rings around his pupils. His beak was grey but shiny and looked somewhat polished. From Nigel's view, this bird looked very friendly. The parrot continued to speak to who Nigel pressumed were his parents, and as the female cockatoo set him on the floor, he enjoyed the warmth and light from the fire._

_Stretching his wings in luxurious freedom, Nigel huddled closer to the fire while eavesdropping, his mother close behind. "As I said, would it be okay for him to hear us?" The parrot questioned, his gaze settling on Nigel's back. His mother turned her head back to smile at the anonymous parrot, and reassured him. _

_"It's alright; he can't understand us." _

_N__igel smirked. _I beg to differ_. He mused, flattening the yellow and white crest on the top of his head. He wanted to hear more of what was going on. And why were they talking about him. He heard his father speak in a protective tone, causing Nigel to be sharper. "I'm sorry, but I think we'll need more information before we can let our son take on the challenge of a TV show. Why must he start training so young?" Nigel hadn't seen what his father looked like, but he assumed that his father looked like him._

_Wait, _young?

_Nigel looked down at himself. Sure enough, his flight feathers were just staring to grow in, and his chubby little wings were small and fuzzed with tiny feathers. How was this possible? And how did he even get here? He started to panic, wildly searching his surroundings for an answer. Everything was growing darker... and denser... the firelight was disappearing, and even the heat turned to frost. He was shuddering as the heat vanished into thin air. Then he found himself staring into the eye of an eagle._

Thunder boomed, startling Nigel from his dreams. Who was that regretful eagle he looked into the eyes of? And what type was she, anyways? He had seen nothing like it. She was beautiful, though, he had to admit. Her unique blue eyes were dazzling. But the poor eagle was so young, probably a young adult. She couldn't deserve that kind of sorrow just yet. Nigel just couldn't shake the look of fear from his mind, though, so he sat up in the nest Rafael helped him build and stared out the hole that he exited and entered. He was taking it too lightly.

The once peaceful willow tree scene was now blowing wildly in the rough wind. Judging by the smell of the moist air, Nigel could tell that a tropical storm was approaching. That would explain the thunder. Alas, despite his comfort, he felt that he needed to stretch his wings before the storm broke out. Nigel slowly got to his feet, the burning image of the troubled bird still in his mind. Slipping through the gnarled hole, he opened his wings and preened them for a moment, then hopped out onto a branch and pretended to fall from there.

He wasn't, really. He'd done this before, but in a more simply humorous manner with the arrogant little monkey. Nigel sure taught him a lesson! Letting out a laugh, the cockatoo caught himself before he hit the ground and swerved upward, enjoying his morning flight. He loved the air before a storm. When he was high in the clouds, and could see the city in small fragments, Nigel spun around and steeply flew downward again, planning to see a view of the beach.

Finally, his feet touched soft yellow grains of sand. Out of pure laziness, Nigel flopped onto the warm sand and tried to block out the eagle, but failed horribly and found himself wondering if she had any connection to Marcel. It could be an explanation for her sorrow; Marcel made him do all sorts of things to other birds in order to kill them. He pitied them now, but back then... He wasn't so sure. He sensed that she was coming, and she wasn't coming alone... Instantly, Nigel shot into the sky. What was he doing here? He should be back there, warning the others!

Like the lightening that was to come, he zoomed past the markets and through the bird sanctuary, bursting into the safety of the thickets. But he wasn't done yet. Birds were climbing into their homes, anticipating a storm, while some others were picking out mangos to eat for their breakfast. Nigel was lost. He didn't know what to do; he couldn't just tell every single bird to get inside! Instinctively, he opened his beak and screeched an alarm call. Surprisingly, it worked; every bird looked at him and shot into their dwellings immediately.

But there was a flash of blue from his corner vision. While rushing their children inside, Blu and Jewel were hushing them reassuringly. Unfortunately, they were going to fast and as one baby looked around curiously, it's footing slipped and he began plummeting into the depths below. Jewel saw this instantly and screamed; Blu looked down and saw it struggling to turn over and fly. He flew after it, but not fast enough.

_Whoosh!_

A flash of clear white shot past their tree, and the Spix macaw chick fell flat on Nigel's back. "I've got you," He soothed, the baby trembling from the fall. The cockatoo had to admit; being larger than others really did come in handy. He gently took it to the forest floor, allowing the paralyzed chick to hop off his back. He turned around to look at it, but seeing the poor condition she was in made Nigel cringe. "Hey, it's okay. I caught you." Nigel whispered, his heart pounding when he saw the reflection of their eyes. They were looking over his shoulder, reflecting a _very_ angry looking-

A vicious, blood-curdeling scream filled the air, and Nigel whipped around just in time to raise his yellow crest and let out a long hiss. The intruder was aiming for him, long, sharp talons outstretched, and was closing the distance between them rather quickly. At the last second, Nigel raised his foot in front of him, snatched one of their talons and flung them to the ground. The mysterious bird was indeed an eagle. Not the one from his dream, but very similiar.

Extending his flight feathers to make himself appear bigger than he actually was, he arched his wings in a protective semi-circle around the chick. The eagle got to his feet and turned his black head to glare at Nigel with menacing blue eyes. "I know who you are... You are the one who left Marcel. Along with Fernando." Nigel snarled. Fernando was just a kid! Arching his wings protectively over the chick, Nigel hardly noticed as raindrops began to fall from the sky. The storm was starting, but the stranger nevertheless continued. "You're Nigel. Right?"

"You've caught me at an disadvantage. You know my name, but I don't know yours." Nigel snarled again in reply. With surprising speed, the eagle recovered and leapt into the air, quickly rewarding Nigel's retort with a claw to the eye. The cockatoo let out a shrill cry and stepped back, feeling the chick's body quiver with fear. He couldn't stop here, when the thunder boomed ahead. Narrowing his eyes, Nigel ran forward and head butted the anonymous eagle in the chest, watching as his attacker became winded and airborne.

The eagle's eyes were filled with such hatred at that moment that Nigel glared back. No matter what, whether this chick had anything to do with Blu or Jewel, his former enemies, he wouldn't let an innocent chick die because a smuggler eagle was doing his job. Hissing, the eagle turned tail and flew away, snarling over his shoulder. "This isn't the last of me. I'll be back with more allies, Nigel." The cockatoo rolled his eyes at how noble the eagle was trying to sound. Screeching in annoyance, the eagle catapulted into the high air, becoming smaller and smaller when the distance between him and Nigel became longer.

Turning back to the wide-eyed macaw, Nigel frowned. "Okay... It's best to get you back inside, to your family..."

* * *

The storm had passed. Blu sat, troubled, on a tree branch attached to his home tree. The chicks were dozing now, one of them having quite the adventure, but Blu couldn't rest knowing that a bird who once tried to kill him came to Kathlene's aid that day. Blu was watching Nigel from afar. The cockatoo had his back facing him, staring past the willow leaves and into the simple sunset. Nigel looked troubled, slightly concerned, from the way his head was propped on his chest and his white feathers were rippling with unease. Jewel sat beside Blu, following his gaze.

"You know, he may not be what he was before." She murmured, recalling the day before. He seemed rather... she couldn't place the word. Different was too weak, weird was just cruel, so Jewel concluded to... Indifferent. Nigel was indifferent. Not just to her own good-natured personality, but to Blu's and Rafael's and Nico's and Pedro's as well. Yes. It appeared that the once violent bird had softened. Blu looked at her helplessly, waiting for her to possibly suggest otherwise, but Jewel held her gaze quite firmly.

"Yeah, but it could just be an act to appear good, be treated like he was good, then turn his back on us and betray us and do what he did before, having it seem really unexpected and then-"

"You thought this through nice and clear, didn't you, Blu?"

"...Well, yeah. I guess I kind of did." Blu smiled at himself. "But maybe you're right." He and Jewel stared for a long time. They both sensed that something was on the cockatoo's mind. They were just trying to figure out what it could possibly be. Jewel suddenly whirled towards him and suggested that he go talk to the cockatoo. Blu stared at her, expressionless. "_What?_" He spat finally, disbelief forming into his chocolate brown eyes. "I can't do that! He'll claw me to death!" Sucking in a deep breath, he released it. "Maybe he will, anyways..."

"Fine! I'll do it!" Jewel hissed, barging past him and gliding her steady way over to Nigel. Before she even landed on his branch, Nigel sighed.

"Are you coming to taunt me again, pretty bird?" He muttered, keeping his head low. Jewel instantly felt guilty for doing so the day before, and as she landed beside him she gave a friendly smile.

"No..."

Nigel turned his head in a hostile fashion. "Then what do you want? I can't waste my time talking to precious brazilian birds." His face narrowed for a moment. A troubled look consumed him once again. "And you couldn't have chosen a worse timing to speak to me..." Shutting his eyes tightly, Nigel shoved his chin into his chest and sighed. Jewel stared quietly, unable to do anything to comfort a restless soul. Suddenly Nigel spoke again, this time with more suave. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scorn you... But it's true... you couldn't have chosen a worse timing..."

"Then perhaps it was actually the best timing possible." She murmured gently, putting a soft wing on Nigel's. "Are you all right? You are acting fairly strange, aside from the sudden change of heart. Blu and I were watching, and thought you might need some company..."

Nigel cast his gaze to his talons. "He doesn't trust me. It was your idea."

Jewel wasn't surprised by his knowing. "I guess we were a little loud. How much did you hear?" She inquired.

"Starting from 'yeah, but it could just be an act to appear good, be treated like he was good, then turn his back on us and betray us and do what he did before, having it seem really unexpected and then-' to 'fine! I'll do it!'" Nigel answered. He had a tiny smile on his face, knowing that he'd heard almost all of the conversation. Jewel saw this too, and smiled in unison with him. The cockatoo continued. "It doesn't matter. Intuition tells me he still doesn't trust me."

"Who can blame him? You kind of... I'll stop talking."

"Thanks."

Silence. Then Jewel playfully tugged his wing, causing Nigel to stare at her blankly. "Just... do your best, all right?"

Nigel was still blank. He turned his head back to the sunset and yawned. "At what?"

She followed his gaze and lost herself to the sunset. Her words also lost themselves breathtakingly and scattered away into the new borne night. "Changing..."


	5. Chapter 5: The Unexpected

Chapter Five: The Unexpected

Laughter rang through the trees as Nigel flew past a certain pair of a canary and red crested cardinal. Nico and Pedro were up to their no good selves again; it was more than likely that they were planning a practical joke on Rafael, to squeeze a laugh out of the toucan. Rafael had told many stories of what Nico and Pedro did in the past, from picking on alley cats to chasing away hawks from their meal.

Nigel recalled the day he first met Rafael; his children were throwing rocks at him. The cockatoo grinned as he _also_ remembered the aged toucan leaping on him, leaving Nigel in the dirt.

"Hey, Nigel! Doing your daydreaming?" a teasing voice called, bringing his morning flight to a stop. Jewel had been following him with Rafael, Nico and Pedro. That would explain the laughter. Nico must've spotted the pair and joined in with Pedro. As the cockatoo turned around to face them, he was attacked and pinned down by them all. He squawked and struggled to breathe as he fell to the ground at the bottom of the dog pile, Jewel on top.

"Guys..." he wheezed, "You must _all_ be horrible at timing. Get up, you lumps of colorful feathers!" Nigel playfully shook them off.

He turned to Rafael, dazed. "What possessed you to convince them of this prank?" he chuckled, meeting eyes with his friend. _Friend..._ He frowned, looking down. He'd never had a friend before. Sure, maybe some birds tried to be his friend when he was in the Golden Age, but Nigel accused them as hustlers and flew away. He was mostly right. But now, Rafael brought Nigel to his senses. Maybe that was what friends were.

_Life is so confusing_. Nigel thought. _There's a friend, there's a hustler. How do you tell who's who?_

Blu and Jewel noticed the strange behaviour and nudged Rafael, who had sensed it as well. The toucan chuckled, awaking Nigel from his dark thoughts. "'Guess my kids did. They were leaping all over me this morning, and Eva was the only one to make them stop." Nigel looked up again, as if waiting for more news. Coughing, Jewel hinted at Rafael to continue, as if there were more to what he said then what he was letting on.

And the toucan _did_ continue. "Look, I know our little surprise attack was fairly unexpected, but there's something I found and I wanted the day to start off... well, better than it could be."

Nigel cocked an eyebrow. "Well? What is it?"

Rafael looked him in the eye when he said this. "In the forest, I was looking for mangos... And I found a cage..." The toucan went on, about how he found a little blood and white feathers scattered here and there. The biggest hit was the fact that the cage was near the plane crash sight, and the door was ripped open, bits of ripped cloth inside the cage.

Nigel was thoroughly dismayed when he heard that egg shell pieces were smashed to bits, but it seemed he knew what it was.

* * *

_A stranger ran through the forest of Rio-or rather, wobbled in the effort. Their legs were not built for running, however much the stranger wished so. She turned her head to look back, and winced as the scratch on her shoulder became ablaze with pain because of her head brushing it. It obviously was not fatal, but the small bird sniffed it to check for infection._

_It wasn't the only wound she'd gained._

_A bad, deep scratch started from her right armpit to her left leg. She was lucky she claimed leaves and stopped the bleeding, like her sister taught her, or else she'd be dead._

_The figure shivered at the thought of being killed. And it was all because of him. That insane white bird, with wild brown eyes and a long crest for spookiness. He was the one who stolen her and her sister away from the family. He was the one who introduced them to his horrible song and past. He was the one who laughed and turned away. She felt so strongly that he was a fault to everything that it became a passion. It was he, he, HE!_

_He did everything to make her life miserable!_

_And right there, the little chick fell to her exhausted knees and cried, missing her entire family. She knew that they were dead. They died in the crash. Why did life have to be so miserable? Life had so much to offer, they say, but did it offer killing your family? No, it did not. She preferred it to stay that way. Tears streaming from her eyes in tiny rivulets, she stood up and continued to run._

_To race... Escape... Escape the past and everything it has to do with Nigel, she fled, into a clearing with no trees._

_There she sat, her chest heaving, lungs screaming for air, and Aadi curled up in a ball and fell into a deep slumber. Freedom and peace. It was all over, and she was glad. Freedom and peace proclaimed, and she smiled, picturing her with her family again. Pretending it never happened, and that she and her sister were at home again, playing soccer with the mangos._

_But the second she awoke, Aadi knew she could pretend no longer._

_That was what made her believe that there was someone out there, willing to care for her like her mother and father did. It was fate. It was destiny. And that was what life could offer._

* * *

Rafael sighed, kicking yet _another_ rotten mango from his path. He'd just failed at his attempts to find breakfast for the kids-and eva and himself. It had come to the point where it was just plain stupid to search for any more. Although Eva would be upset, Rafael hoped for the best.

Walking into the dark depths of the forest, he scowled at the thought of Alexander nipping a few of his feathers for punishment. That kid was wild at his own terms, but when it came to hunger, he went _CRAZY_.

That's why the rattled toucan went out dawn; to escape having his only ability to fly-his flight feathers-torn out. Rafael looked up exaggeratedly and searched his surroundings. A couple of rotting bananas were hanging in citrus looking trees, while as he turned to his right he could see a peach- ripe and clear. Relieved that he wouldn't be bitten, Rafael flew up the life-saver and pulled at it's stump.

To his misfortune, it was stiff and hard to tug out. Flying over to the other side, Rafael struggled with the peach.

For a moment, it appeared to be coming off it's tree. Rafael pulled harder and tugged so powerfully that he himself fell, and landed in a bushy clearing. He cautiously opened his eyes and, without hesitation, stood up to have a good look around. He was in the place where the plane crash happened.

Nigel wasn't lying.

There were scattered, broken pieces of grey metal almost everywhere in sight, as well as smashed cages and iron bars sticking out in every direction. It may have been very well dangerous to any bird who was stuck inside.

Upon closer inspection, Rafael spotted a torn purple blanket next to dried blood on the leafy forest floor. Shocked, he was also horrified to see broken egg shells underneath one of the badly tormented cages. There was a rip right across the metal barred cage the egg shells lay inside, and if anyone were to be able to fit through it, it would either be a chick or a fairly small bird.

There was a new born chick out on the loose, probably scared out of it's wits, blundering through the forest like a blind human.

But it didn't get out without a wound.

Rafael could search for it, but he couldn't do it alone. He'd need more help than ever, but then he remembered Nigel and how much pain it caused him to recall the day of the accident. Could Rafael tell him, or would he freak out? The most he could estimate was shock from the white cockatoo, and if not only that, anger. It would mostly be directed at himself. But he couldn't just leave it be. He had to tell him, because Nigel deserved to know.

Because, if it weren't for Rafael, Nigel would never forgive himself.

So he set off to find Nigel and Blu, planning a surprise dog pile for the cockatoo. If anything, he'd deserve his day to start off good, before the big news. Rafael sighed, only ever anticipating the guilt or anger for his friend.

It even occurred to him that Nigel most likely didn't have a friend until the toucan came along. And now that Jewel has offered forgiveness to the white bird as well, Rafael sensed that she would help with the bringing of news.

He just hoped it went well.

* * *

"Nigel, _stop!_"

The cockatoo froze, turning to meet Jewel's gaze. He was searching for the sight of the plane crash, to see for himself. He wasn't thinking properly. Narrowing his eyes, Nigel snapped. "_What_? There's a very harmed chick out there. I'm sure. _We have to find it_!"

Jewel felt prickles running down her spine and she shuddered at the urgency in his voice. "No," she whispered, "Not yet. Don't you think the chick would run away? It wouldn't recognize you." Something passed behind Nigel's eyes, but he pushed it away and whipped around. Bitterly seeing this, Jewel followed along. She was surprised when he spoke again.

"You wouldn't understand." He muttered, walking into the deeper depths of the jungle.

Remembering what Blu taught her about walking and running, Jewel scurried up and closed the distance between them. She blinked at him with turquoise eyes before saying, "Try me."

"No!" He spat, turning to look at her. "I don't have to tell you anything!" Troubled, he looked down, dusting off the anger. "Do I?" He glanced back up at her, his big brown eyes questioning. Jewel looked quite taken aback by his sudden mood and craned her neck to look over his shoulder as Rafael caught up, desperately scurrying to meet them.

As the toucan stood beside her, he stared at Nigel in the eye. "No, Nigel." Rafael answered, very seriously. "But if you want our help, it's recommended. We can't help you if we don't know what we're looking for, or why we're looking for them. We'd need to know everything. But if you don't want to, we won't make you. No peer pressure." He smiled at the end, watching Nigel squaring his shoulders.

"We'll help you." Rafael gave a side glance at Jewel, who quickly nodded.

They searched until sunset, but then Jewel suddenly piped up. "There's a clearing over there." Nigel instantly became airborne and soared over to the clearing she spoke about. He landed in the middle, giving the place a good look with both eyes, and peered through the bushes to see the other bird awaiting his response. He gave them a shrug, and shook his head. Nigel couldn't let the anonymous chick hear his voice.

There was a rustling behind him, and the cockatoo perked up his hearing. He thought that he had seen and heard everything already. There it came again, a little louder than last time. It was closer. Nigel turned, keeping his eyes alert for anything out of the ordinary. "Found anything... or any_one_?" A familiar voice whispered, and he realized that Jewel and Rafael had joined him in the time gathering.

Nigel shook his head. "No... but I think we're _about_ to."

As if on queue, a little bundle of red and white feathers backed out from a bush, her small head facing the group. They Jewel and Rafael held their breathes, but Nigel stared blankly. Who knew what he was thinking? If anything, there was a possible amount of recognition in his light brown eyes.

The little chick was another cockatoo, but not of the same type. From the top of her frizzled, curly feathered-head to her shoulders, she was a bright, scarlet red. From there down she was all white. Nigel's eyes widened when he noticed the wound on her shoulder, reaching down towards her spine. The metal bars must've really gotten to her. Heart pounding, he watched carefully as she turned around, seeing her starry gold eyes looking up.

She sighed. "That was really close! If I weren't so small, maybe I wouldn't have been able to squish myself into that tiny hole. That big bird would've gotten me." His heart was officially in his throat. She could have died out here, in the jungle!

Before he knew what he was doing, he stepped out of the ferns and raced to meet her. He'd felt Rafael's black wings trying to hold him back. "No!" Nigel hissed. He broke free and from all the ruckus, the chick snapped her head to look at him, and slowly backed away.

"You again!" She snarled, puffing her little feathers up in anger and fear. "Stay away from me!" He lingered back, uncertain.

He knew exactly who she was.

Aadi.


	6. Chapter 6: Regret and Eavesdropping

Chapter Six: Regret and Eavesdropping 

"Aadi, calm down," Nigel pleaded, feeling uncomfortable with the stares he received from Rafael and Jewel. It was suddenly like it was him pitted against the world. He was facing the young cockatoo, the others falling close behind suspiciously and a little angry that they weren't let in on Nigel's knowledge. Meanwhile, Aadi stood indignantly, her baby feathers standing on end with hostility. Nigel resumed to his soothing tactics. "Aadi, please don't be frightened. I'm not going to hurt you."

Aadi pulled her strong beak back into a snarl. "And should I believe you when you say that? No! Because the last few times you've said that, I had to be there to watch you grow crazed; and besides, me and mama and treated like..." the poor little chick's eyes clouded at the memories. Meanwhile Rafael studied Nigel's reaction throughout this all. The cockatoo had large, dismayed eyes as he stared at the young bird. It seemed strange that the chick could speak sensibly and reasonably like an adult. But Rafael was positive that Nigel knew something about it. If not, all of it.

"Nigel, can you tell us what's going on?" Rafael snorted, turning an impatient gaze onto the white bird. The cockatoo was lost for words, while Aadi was staring at him with anger ablaze in her sun-dropped golden eyes. Jewel, being the curious bird she was, stepped up beside Nigel and turned her warm gaze to the troubled chick. When Aadi saw this and stared back up at the blue macaw, Jewel smiled.

"You know," she murmured, taking a step closer to the chick, without Aadi backing away. "We make a lot of mistakes in life. But we have to make the best of it and move along. That's what us birds of the feather do." Nigel snapped out of the daze and stared at Jewel. She went on, oblivious to his look of pressure. "You'll see that when it comes to mistakes, you can't always take them back. Me and my husband-Blu-would know; we've made plenty." Aadi, who was now unaware of Nigel, took a cautious step towards the blue macaw. The chick could sense that this friendly female had hatchlings of her own; it would explain her compassion.

But why would she have compassion for a... Bird murderer? One who, mercilessly, smuggled her from home? And why was this pretty blue macaw rambling on and on about 'mistakes'? What did mistakes have anything to do with the danger of being near a villain? Heart pounding, Aadi looked over her shoulder at Nigel, feeling like her throat was clogged with fear. She didn't know WHY she was afraid; despite his past crimes. He was staring helplessly at her, a sympathetic frown plastered on his thoughtful face.

Why hadn't he shown those expressions before? The big, scary cockatoo looked nothing close to the word 'intimidating.' In fact, his feathers were no longer a dirty gray, they were a beautiful snow white with a silver lining. They shone in spite of the dark forest around them. The fierce, once-bloodstained talons were sheathed into his feet, which were curled nervously. The scars on his face were almost invisible, while his darkly circled brown eyes darted to her golden while giving away his fierce pondering.

Aadi didn't realize that she had been standing there, examining him thoroughly, as if to help her trust him a little more. She knew studying his figures wouldn't help see what was on the inside, because the saying that went around was 'looks can be deceiving' and her mother told her how some birds who chose to ignore it ended up in deep danger because they thought they could trust their acquaintance. Were they ever wrong. Bringing her thoughts to revolve around Nigel, she closed her large eyes and somehow found herself clinging to the kindred spix macaw.

It'd been a while since she felt motherly compassion radiating from anyone for a long, long time. It was partially why she was hugging Jewel, and why she was avoiding topics similar to her sister's smuggler and mother's murderer. Unsurprised, Jewel wrapped her wings around the young chick and exchanged a worried gaze with Rafael. The black toucan had his wings folded gingerly across his white chest, watching the entire scene unfold while remaining quiet. Upon lingering his stare on the chick for so long led to Jewel hugging the baby.

"Well, well. What to do with you? I think that we can provide you with care takers, how does that sound?" Aadi shook her head furiously, her eyes hidden in the blue fluffiness. She didn't want to go anywhere but Rio. It was where she was born; where she wanted to stay. She had the feeling of belonging and if she left, Aadi knew that she would have to grow used to a different climate. No one would want to feel left out in an unknown place. However, Jewel wasn't speaking in terms of immigration.

"Rafael, the toucan over there," Jewel continued, "He knows EVERYBODY. No joke. Every single one of us in Rio. He could find you a family that's willing to adopt. Rafael, can you-"

"Don't even ask, amigo." Rafael's voice was laced with laughter. He seemed most amused, looking at Aadi with a thoughtful expression. "I know exactly where this one should go. Come on, let's head back to yours and Blu's home; I'll tell you when we get there." In understanding, Jewel nodded and turned to Nigel, who was looking off in a distance. "Hey, Nigel. You okay? We're heading off." She told him, unhinging Aadi from her and prodding Nigel with a sky blue wing. Aadi watched in disbelief, as if she couldn't even think to as why Jewel would be so near him. Muscles tensing, the ferocious chick inspected quietly as Jewel spoke to Nigel.

She was taken by surprise when Rafael put a soft wing on her shoulder, and she turned to look at him. He lifted her up and placed Aadi on his back, turning to shoot himself into the air. Scared-out-of-mind, the little cockatoo dug her talons in his feathers and gripped hard. She'd never been in the air before, and was trembling at the possibilities awaiting her. She could fall and break her neck, fall and land on a hard branch, fall and... You get the point; Aadi was afraid of falling.

But as the toucan and chick became airborne, her breath was taken away. Aadi could see everything-the jungle, the city, the beach, all in a bird's eye view. It was amazing, despite her fear, and she stretched out in the wind to make it feel like she was flying. The air kissed her feathers and brushed them, a wisp of cloud crossing her path. When she opened her eyes to see a thunder cloud, a lightning bolt sparking inside, Aadi whimpered and dug herself in the frenzy of black feathers. She wished she weren't so afraid of the sky.

As they pulled down towards Jewel's hollow, Rafael came to a slow, with a mischievous smile on his wry face. Aadi silently pondered what he was up to, whether it was good or bad for her, if it even had anything to do with her at all. He _had_ mentioned something about her new dwellings, but would tell the macaw and not her. Didn't she have the right to know where she was going to, and when? How was she going to get there, if she couldn't fly yet? She couldn't just crouch on someone's back all the time! Nigel and Jewel had fallen behind.

She was whispering furiously to him while he only half listened to what she had to say. He landed gently to the grassy floor, watching the little chick so closely he might've fallen over if he didn't push himself up in time. _Those wounds need to be tended to_, Nigel thought, nearly saying it out loud. He could hardly believe the little thing had gotten out of the crash with only a scratch and a deep elicit. Nigel was relieved, however, that she was alive at all. Rafael was on the same track, though.

He turned to Jewel, his black wing wrapped around Aadi's shoulders. She looked drained, and sleepy, but Nigel couldn't blame her. It was midnight, after all. "Jewel," Rafael started calmly, "One of her wounds has opened up, and we need to get it cleaned up. While Nigel gets water, can you take her inside and get some flowers?" When Jewel stared in confusion, the toucan continued, "Flowers can be used as herbs in healing. You just need to get the injury cleaned first. Marigold helps cleanse infection."

Rafael looked around, but Nigel was already gone. He chuckled, whispering, "I think I've made the right choice..." then to Jewel, he nodded, and she stared at him, completely taken aback. "Yes, that's who I meant."

"You can't be serious!" Jewel cried, while Aadi stood, still in protection of Rafael's wing, zoning out. She didn't hear anything the two birds began to argue about, but in the end it appeared that Rafael had won. The next thing she knew, she was in Blu and Jewel's home, and three little spix macaws were curled up in the nest and another blue macaw was sitting at the edge of the nest, snoozing while standing up. Aadi assumed it to be Blu, Jewel's partner. Her eyes hanging, the little cockatoo yawned and rubbed her eyes. She would stay awake, then pass out where she was going to stay for the night. But it was going to be hard.

Searching the home, Jewel finally came across some marigold and began to chew it into a pulp, turning eventually into ointment for the injuries of Aadi's belly and shoulders. As it churned to liquid, Jewel spread the slime over the shoulder cut and then the stomach. It was still fresh, because the little chick flinched violently. "Ow," she moaned, trying to hold the elicit in order to put pressure on it. Jewel shooed Aadi's wings away and finished up the area, only to see Nigel arriving with one talon holding a orgel made of leaves, containing the water needed. There, Jewel realized her mistake. She was supposed to put the ointment on _after_.

Nigel then assured her that it didn't matter, and that he could use the orgel another day instead. He also explained that the cuts didn't have to be cleaned because the marigold would do that for her. "It shouldn't matter if there's water or not." he finished, making eye contact with little Aadi. When she looked at the floor instead, he felt a little embarrassed and suddenly found the sky to be interesting. Why, oh why, did Nigel have to be such a frightening bird? He moaned inwardly at his ugly appearance.

"So, Nigel," Jewel chose the words carefully. If this went the wrong way, she knew she'd have to handle Aadi's complaining. Not to mention Nigel's dismayed look; Jewel was pretty positive he'd practiced it during the Golden Age. She forced herself to continue. "... Rafael and I, uhm, confirmed who would be the best to look after Aadi." Nigel stared at her skeptically and cocked an eyebrow. "... And we decided... That you have to." it took just a split second for the information to sink into Aadi's and Nigel's heads before the baby cockatoo let out a frantic cry.

"WHAT?"

Nigel took a deep breath, murmuring something unintelligible under his breath. He stared down, just for a peaceful moment, and then rested his gaze on Aadi. "C'mon, then. You are tired." he told her, and just as she caught her breath from shock, the red brimmed cockatoo looked up at him with big, frightened eyes. He stifled a twinge of pity and offered his back to her, of which she quickly leapt on and felt the wind embrace her once again as they became airborne.

As he started gliding down toward the widow tree, Jewel stared after them, troubled. "Good luck and good night, Nigel. She's quite the wingful..."

* * *

Aadi had surprisingly gone to sleep without a fight. Nigel had even offered to leave, if it were to make her comfortable, but the chick shrugged and flopped onto the nest without hesitation. At that point, Nigel had no idea what he was supposed to do, or how he was going to take care of her. He'd never had to take care of anyone before. But as he now gazed at her sleeping, he knew exactly what to do. Nigel didn't know what it was that made him realize it.

_Maybe it is fatherly instinct. Or intuition, like Rafael. Or maybe it has something to do with the brain and the heart!_ He thought wildly, staring out of the hole and through the leaves, at the moon. It had been a couple hours after Jewel sent them off. But he was left pondering and deeply troubled. How is this going to work? Nigel sighed inwardly. _A murderer and an innocent chick forming a family of two? Rafael must be psychotic. Aadi hates me, or is afraid. It's all the same, either way. _

Nigel couldn't help but gaze over his shoulder at the baby Aadi, whose eyes were closed sleepily and breathing was deep. The image of the chick stuck in his head and he felt total affection, but pushed it away. _I'm becoming too much of a softie. Besides; I doubt little Aadi would see a potential father in a total maniac... Or, should I say, a smug, wanna-be TV show bird._ A lump in his throat formed, and he thought of Aadi, trapped in that cage, not too long ago... Nigel shuddered. _As long as I may live, I will protect that kid from any harm that comes her way_. He vowed. But still, she and her mother...

...Lowering his eyes from the moon, he turned over to look at Aadi once again. Her beautiful and delicate feathers shone brilliantly in the moonlight. Even though she was from Rio, he would not scorn her. Even though she became borne to Rio, he could not overlook her. Even though she was from Rio, she was still a pretty cockatoo. But that was what got her smuggled, and what caused the death of her mother, Freyja. That was what made his silver lined feathers prickle with guilt and shame. He remembered it... Everything.

Before he'd realized what he was doing, Nigel was walking towards the sleeping chick. He reached out with soft white wings and gently lifted her out of the nest and was, by the next thing he knew, cradling her like a hatchling. He did not know what drove him to do this, but he looked down upon her with a hint of fondness glimmering in his brown eyes. Aadi looked so adorable, with her big golden eyes shut and her little beak muzzling her chest. She was curled up in Nigel's arms, her chubby little wings effortlessly twitching and fluffing every once in a while.

She was a peaceful bundle of red and white feathers. He leaned forward to rest his forehead on the side of her head before whispering softly, "Aadi... I'm so sorry. If I could everything back, I would, I really would. I wish it had been me in one of the cages, instead of you..." holding her close, Nigel didn't budge for a long time. After all, she was the most precious Rio chick out of every single one of the Brazilian birds. _His_ Rio chick.

Little did he know, in the midst of the full moon, Aadi was awake...

...And she heard everything...

**A/N: This was a little bonus part for all you wonderful readers! Family moment. :3**


	7. Chapter 7: Here We Go Again!

Chapter Seven: Here we go again...

**A/N: School's slowing me down a bit, but I'll try to post once every week! I think I maade some mistakes, but I fixed them all up. :P**

Blinking open her eyes gingerly to the bright light of the golden sun, Aadi quickly regretted it and shut her temporarily blinded pupils. She slowly made it to her feet, slitting her eyes carefully, and looked around the nest. Nigel had slept beside her, but a little further away to create a comfort zone. Growling angrily when she remembered the smuggling incident, the young cockatoo stormed out of the little hollow and hopped out onto a branch so that later she could enable herself to climb back later. Aadi stared at the colourful hues of the rising sun splattering the sky. Whistling filled the eerie silence, lonesome at first but later gathered into a burst of voices.

The forest was slowly awakening, for a very special reason. Aadi smiled in happiness as she recognized the tunes being played, music to her and every other bird's ears. It was the carnival tradition! She and Freyja would dance to it every month it took place. Sighing at the memories, Aadi leaned back into the bark of the tree and listened as the music began to explode around her. Then the voices rang through the trees, singing a joyful chorus of Real in Rio.

"**All the birds of the feather  
Do what they can most of all  
We are the best at rhythm and laughter,  
That's why we love carnival!**"

As the voices became louder, they also became closer. Aadi opened her eyes to see a pair of a canary and red crested cardinal singing and laughing, the little yellow canary holding a guitar. They nearly passed the widow tree while singing another verse of the song.

"**All the birds we can sing to  
Sun and beaches they call  
Dance to the music; passion and love  
Show us the best you can do!**"

Aadi waved at them, of which they caught sight of and landed on the same branch. Nico stopped playing his guitar and lifted off his bottle cap to bow playfully. "Greetings, baby bird! Care to join us?" he placed his hat on his yellow head and smiled at Aadi.

Pedro also greeted and waved. "What's up, mini-coo?" the cockatoo smiled at the nickname.

Giggling at the odd pair, the baby cockatoo shook her head to Nico's question and looked back inside the hollow worriedly. Nico saw and smirked. "Hey, if that's all you're worried about, then we'll play right here! I'm sure everyone else'll still hear us. After all, carnival is for everybody to enjoy!"

Sure enough, the forest was bursting with singing and dancing. "Okay!" Aadi said cheerfully, trying to remember some of the words to the song. Then she smiled as they came to her, and Pedro pumped his chest readily while Nico started the guitar again. Opening her tiny beak, Aadi let loose a young voiced chorus of traditional song. It sounded a little babied, because she was a chick, but that added to the fun. She started to sing the verse that came to her first.

"**Everyone here is on fire  
Get up and join in the fun  
Dance with a stranger  
Romance and danger...**"

Taking a deep breath, she set free another chorus.

"**...Magic could happen for real, in Rio  
All by itself  
You can't see it coming;  
you can't find it anywhere else!**"

Nico applauded happily and whistled. "That's some singing you got there, baby bird! You should show your talent more often! And as for the song, Pedro can sing the rest while you can dance with me." Aadi cheered but then looked at Pedro questionably, but he smiled and waved it off.

"No prob, baby bird. Pedro the Samba Masta doesn't mind a bit of singing, even if it ain't his thing!" Pedro bellowed a strange caw and opened up his smiling beak. Meanwhile, Nico grabbed Aadi's wings and twirled her playfully. He dunked her once and both whirled around again, the chick giggling away. The lyrics rose high above her chuckles.

"**It's real in Rio  
Know something else  
You can feel it happen  
You can feel it all by yourself!**"

Nico took one wing while wrapping his other around her shoulders, and he pretended to dance with her in a tango-like manner. Dunking her once again, he dramatically paused to twirled her around with one wing while singing in harmony with his bro.

"**All the birds of the feather  
Do what we love most of all  
Moon and the stars,  
Sun and guitars  
That's why we love carnival!**"

This time, Aadi broke apart from their tango and spun herself like a ballerina, though clumsily because of her youth. She imagined her mama, beautiful and flexible, swaying her wings with Aadi's as they danced together to this song. Loss broke through to her happiness, and she opened her eyes and stopped dancing. Nico looked at her quizzically and glanced over at Pedro. The music came to a halt. "Yo, baby bird." said Nico, "What's up?" A wing outstretched towards her. But alas, instead of crying like a normal toddler, Aadi shook it off and pushed the image of her mother away. She sang softly.

"**Loving our life in the jungle;  
Everything's wild and free...  
Never alone cause this is our home,  
Magic can happen for real in Rio, here's something else...**"

Sensing her wariness, Pedro strummed the guitar slowly and rhythmically, creating a gentle beat of music. Nico rounded his eyes thoughtfully but came out with a smirk. He settled his goal to making her laugh again. "Baby bird, don't you worry nothing. Us samba masters will make you flow with the beat." at the last word, he grabbed her wing and spun her, achieving his aim. Aadi burst with spontaneous giggles.

"**You can feel it happening  
You won't find it anywhere else!**"

She, Nico and Pedro finished together, dancing and harmonizing with each other. The magic and power of carnival had never shone so bright within three small birds.

* * *

_"Nigel, go check on the others for me, all right?" murmured Marcel, in his seat, half asleep. Nigel guessed he'd had a pretty long day. But wilfully, the cockatoo agreed to his owner and flew into the other room, of which the doors were open for him. Cackling at the poor, wretched but hueful birds trapped in the cages, he barged into a cage hanging from the ceiling. Nigel settled to climbing on top of it, casting a malicious glare to all of them. He was thinking, just recently, about his past fame and glory. Things had been different then, when no pretty parakeets filled his shoes, mocked him or stared at him with a sly grin._

_"Too bad you pretty birds aren't all as you seem," he taunted. The birds just stared at him with glazed-over eyes. Some chicks huddled together and struggled to the farthest corner of the cage away from him. How he loved the glisten of fear in their eyes when they cringed at his voice. With a delighted snarl, Nigel cocked his head and stared at the only one of his kind that wasn't fearful. She was sitting with a calm expression on her red brimmed face. Hazel eyes glistened coolly as she returned his glare. No one could be so menacing towards him, except for her. It was her hatred that made this stranger strong._

_"I don't need to be as I seem..." the female cockatoo replied with a sneer, "...To be who I was meant to be. That goes for you, too, Nigel. Why do you do what you do?" her head feathers were red, and looked like it draped her face as the hue reached her shoulders and rippled along her neck. Her beak was a little smaller than his, while black feathers outlined her brown-gold eyes. The rest of her body was a silvery white, glistening in the dull light that dripped into the window from the sun. Nigel hated to say it, but she had a beautiful appearance that obviously didn't match her personality..._

_Scowling at her, Nigel turned away. This conversation would strike him every morning he was stuck watching her and the rest. He could never quite figure out what her words meant, though, even having to keep watch for a long time. It reminded him of her small chick, fortunately smuggled along with her, and for some reason the chick had a large egg shell clumped onto her head. It wasn't old enough to understand speech, nor speak it, and it had a thin layer of feathers coated along its body. But then he was brought back to the female cockatoo's question drifted back into his mind, sprouting an idea in his head at that moment, creating a wicked smile. Nigel would explain why he was so evil... Through a song! And the best part of that plan was that he would make it so intense and fierce that it would make these pretty birds even more afraid. Well, maybe all except his cockatoo companion._

_He mustn't appear weak in front of these birds, and instead make himself look dangerous and vicious. Even if it meant he had to steal and eat chicken from Tipa. Inwardly shuddering at the thought, Nigel whipped around again and cast the other cockatoo with an angry stare. "What's that even supposed to mean, anyway?" he hissed, widening the eyes of the red headed female ever so slightly. It was the look of disbelief, dappling her stare with hints of surprise. Was he supposed to know what those meant after all?_

_The few seconds her surprise lasted vanished quickly, replaced with mockery. "I'm surprised you don't know that saying." she jeered, ignoring the horrified stares from the other Rio birds. Nigel had to admit; he liked a little challenge once in a while. He had no intentions of hurting her at all because of it. Shaking the thought away, the larger cockatoo stared challengingly at his species, as if daring her to continue. She did. "Sé quien eres y no el intérprete." she said to him, with a little less menace. She knew something. Why was this strange cockatoo female, which Nigel had barely known, so good at reading him? It was like she could read his thoughts._

_He couldn't take much more. His anger was building up, and even the Bird Murderer had to restrain himself from bringing harm to his friendly rival. He took a deep breath, which made the other cockatoo smile ever so slightly, and flapped hard to get himself out of there. Nigel breathed a sigh of relief when he burst through the door and landed on Marcel's shoulder. He'd noticed for the first time that a purple, velvet scarf was wrapped tightly around the smuggler's neck, though Nigel wasn't sure whether the colour or the softness that caught his attention. But as the bird settled quietly on his shoulders, Nigel couldn't stop thinking about what his friendly rival had told him in Spanish. "Sé quien eres y no el intérprete." He murmured repeatedly out loud, falling asleep. "Sé quien eres y no el intérprete..."_

_It was midnight when he awoke again. He looked out the window, at the full moon, and stretched. Hopping off Marcel's shoulder, Nigel flew steadily into the smuggler room. The birds were asleep, in spite his sudden urge to enter this room. It was another anonymous thing about him. Giving flight around the area, he heard a little wheeze of air. It had come from the red brimmed cockatoo's cage, and as he made his way over there, the once-strong she-bird was tucked into a ball, half protecting her child, muttering in the soundless night and breaking the silence. She hadn't noticed his arrival._

_"Hey," he whispered, unusually softly. She looked up at him with startle-filled eyes. When she realized that it was Nigel, she let out a silent cry of fear and held her chick closer. The egg shell on the chick's head fell to the cage floor. He hadn't seen that reaction from the mother cockatoo before, and it almost made him slip. But he clung to her cage lightly. "Hey, it's okay. What's wrong with the kid?" If what he'd suspected was true, and the daylight vanishing was making her hatchling cold, then that could be deadly._

_"Just get me a cloth big enough for both of us. We'll be fine from there on." she replied, lowering her gaze. The metal bars she shared with the chick were cold and the house did not have a heater, though it was always warm in Rio. It was night that surprised everyone. She tucked her wings around her chick while Nigel hesitated. That made her look up at him pleadingly. "Please... Please, Nigel. Do one good thing in your life." The nameless chick was shivering with cold, from lack of feathers. He blinked. It was showing weakness, something he vowed himself not to do._

_But he'd risk it._

_Sneaking a gaze around the room, he saw some of the crates stacked on top of each other, some broken to bits. Every other bird was asleep, therefore relieving him from being seen. Narrowing his eyes, Nigel gazed over at the door leading to the room Marcel fell asleep in. As he'd recalled, Marcel was wearing a purple scarf around his neck. That would do. Freyja watched as he disappeared and reappeared from the doorway. This time he carried a large violet... What was that, anyway? It looked soft and silky. While she was left pondering, Nigel reached out one leg to clutch the cage while with the other pushing the strange fabric through the pet cage._

_"Here. I don't think we have plain cloth, but I'm sure this will do." said Nigel, detaching himself from the iron bars. Watching as she set up a nest by curling the silk in circles, he shook his ruffled feathers into place. He continued to gaze as the red headed cockatoo grabbed her daughter's scruff and placed her in the scarf-nest that was settled in the corner in the back of the cage. The chick buried itself deeper into the sheet. Nigel couldn't help but remark, "She looks happy. What are you going to call her?" For some reason, this cockatoo and her chick cracked open the hard, hostile shell that circled him. It was a start of_ something_, something unnameable._

_After settling in herself, the stranger bird smiled up at Nigel, who was still flying. "I've been thinking of names with meanings, and I found one with the meaning of 'new beginning.' She certainly was my beginning, so I named her Aadi." Nigel blinked a couple of times and considered it to be a good name. He nodded to her in approval, and looked down at Aadi to smile. The baby was curled under her mother's wing. Sharing the same heart felt affection for her daughter, Freyja dismissed him. "Thank you for helping Aadi. You might want to go now, but, Nigel," She half whispered as he almost left her alone in the vast darkness. He turned to see her expectantly._

_"Good night."_

_Nigel was silent with a little surprise. This may have been his first friend, or it could be meaningless. Nevertheless, he smiled, nodded, and went to sleep for the night._

_The chick continued to grow, each day seeing Nigel and snuggling close to Freyja. Aadi occasionally gave Nigel a friendly squawk while her egg shell hat went flying, but was treated with a scowl, not that it mattered much to her. He tried to appear stronger, more menacing, but Aadi and Freyja both knew the truth. They'd remembered that night, when compassion overpowered hate, where sympathy defied grudge. He'd remembered it too, but always pushed it from his mind. Why should Nigel care for a couple of birds? Why in fact, did he care at all then? Maybe it was something in the way Aadi looked, so helpless, defenceless, or weak. Or maybe it was because of Freyja, who gave him compassion and got it in return._

_That day was particularly paralyzing. He'd been asked to keep watch again, and easily cast another menacing glare to the Rio birds. Aadi still looked up at him, a little smilet on her baby face. Sometimes it really nerved him, though Nigel didn't show it in fear of screening weakness. Today, he had finished his song and was bursting with a weird eagerness to taunt them with it. Her little smile was the only thing stopping him. Standing on the cage hanging form the ceiling, Nigel crowed. "Don't worry," He sneered, beak curling back. "I'm sure your pretty feathers will grow dull soon. After all, doesn't a precious Rio bird need sunshine and clear water to be full of such hue?"_

_No bird usually answered, but little Aadi was a child not to be piped down. Some older birds looked her way with amusement and sympathy when she chirped, "Not _all_ sunshine and clear water! We need mangos too!" Of course. Nigel understood that she was a chick; she didn't know any better, but sometimes it was irritating. In that childish way, she smiled again, and giggled at herself. But the smilet and laughter faded, replaced with something that he couldn't read. When she looked at Nigel with big, golden eyes, she frowned. "Mr, why are you mean all the time?" Nigel could tell by the way Freyja flushed that she was embarrassed by this sudden question._

_But somehow, he found himself unable to answer. His hazel eyes clashed with her golden, and he bit back a retort. He couldn't stop staring at her attention-seeking eyes that wanted answers._

_Answers she couldn't have._

"**It's real, in Rio,  
****You can't find it anywhere else!**"

Grumbling, Nigel opened his eyes. There was music, laughter and singing just outside his hollow. There were three voices, specifically, that were harmonizing so miraculously that it sounded almost like the samba at his old home. Above all, he recognized Aadi's voice among them. The chick was probably celebrating… what was it? Carnival? Yes, he knew very well what it was. Taking place once a month, almost every single bird in Rio celebrated it with friends and family. Then there were the parades. Nigel groaned at the thought of it; the last time he attended a carnival scheduled, he had been smuggling Jewel. Just to be safe, he'd go check on Aadi.

He jolted at the sudden sound of an eagle's cry. Hurrying out into the daylight, Nigel just managed to hold back a shriek of surprise and shock as he found Nico and Pedro pinned by the same eagle. Their faces told no harmony of the carnival, which was for sure. In fact, they were spitting insults and with rage and Pedro, who was a little over weight, managed to bite down on one of the eagle's huge talons and use the distraction to push himself away. The eagle, who was distinctly familiar somehow, responded by increasing the hard grip he had on Nico, making him cry out in pain.

But the last thing Silviene expected was Pedro knocking into him, allowing Nico to grab his slipping bottle cap and escape the iron grip.

"That ain't right, dude!" Nico exclaimed angrily, fluffing up his yellow feathers fiercely. Pedro joined him and repeating the motion. Luckily, Nigel dropping in just in time to raise his yellow crest towards the strikingly recognizable white tailed eagle.

"So," Nigel snarled. "You weren't joking when you dramatically told me that you'd be back. Where's your reinforcements?" He arched his wings over Nico and Pedro, because a) They were small compared to Silviene, and b) Nigel didn't need anyone else getting hurt. They were small and vulnerable to an angry eagle like the one in front of him. Nigel narrowed his eyes, containing them with concern. "Where's Aadi?"

Silviene raised his eyes casually and slowly strolled along the branch. He was hiding something. "Oh, I don't know." He answered, staring Nigel in the eye smugly. "I suppose she's the one with the red head and white body? That wee one was taken already." When Nigel's expression didn't change, Silviene smirked. "You'd probably want to know where she is… In that case—"

A squeal sounded from below. "Nico! Pedro! Help me!" At the sound of her voice, Nigel let out a screech and attacked Silviene. He clawed him in the face as avenging the last time they met, and pushed him away as Nigel became airborne to land in the clearing below. He'd landed just beside Aadi and her attacker, and apparently was silent about it because the other eagle didn't sense his presence.

Nigel studied the eagle carefully. It was identical to Silviene, only with strange whirls of green fluorescent feathers scattered here and there. Aadi's gaze traveled to Nigel's, and he willed her to be quiet. With his luck, she wouldn't be. But even without voice, the eagle held his grip on her firm and followed her stare. When he saw Nigel, he leaped back with surprise.

"Who are you?"

Huffing, the white cockatoo quickly pinned the eagle to the ground with one foot. "I could ask you the same thing." While keeping the grip firm, Nigel looked over at Aadi, who was struggling to stand up. Her legs wobbled but she finally stretched her legs, her gold eyes bright with fear. "Aadi…" She looked at him and dropped her jaw. This image was like a repetition of many for her. Her face was suddenly pouring with tears, and as Nico and Pedro landed beside her, they exchanged an understanding glance with Nigel before trying to soothe her. Stomach clenching with undeniable pity, he turned back to rest his gaze on the eagle. "Let me ask the questions. Who are you?"

The eagle answered nervously, staring at the sky. "S-Sagar."

"Why are you here?"

"B-because of Marcel."

What's he making you do?"

"Smuggle b-birds and s-sell them."

_Hmm. It sounds familiar. _

A cry of an eagle sounded; Silviene had gotten to his feet to attack Nico and Pedro again. Aadi scooted out of the way just in time to not get plummeted. Wheezing in pain, Pedro struggled but was flailing uselessly; Silviene's grip was too strong this time. Then a third eagle entered the fight, making Nigel catching his breath but loosen his grip. Sagar pushed him off and fled the battle. But all of the white cockatoo's attentions were on the third. She was the eagle from his dream! Gorgeous blue eyes and purple symbolisms decorating her spine and wings.

She looked around, quite panicked and confused. Silviene hissed at her, and she nodded regretfully and walked towards Aadi. Nigel snapped out of it when he realized that she was about to smuggle the chick. "Oh no, you don't!" He hissed, flying at her like a bullet. Seeing him made her cringe, but she broke into a flight and scooped a shocked Aadi by the leg as she pummeled towards the sky. He sped after her in chase; though he knew he had no chance of catching up to her. The eagle were a very fast race of birds.

In the end, Aadi was gone. He landed helplessly as he stared up at the ascending shapes of three eagles as the sun rose high above the horizon. He couldn't believe it. Aadi was going to relive a nightmare. Nigel had broken his vow. But he was going to make it up to her, and all of Rio. He was going to help them. But he couldn't figure out the loss in his chest. Aadi was part of the reason his hostile shell cracked open. Nigel gripped the widow tree's bark tightly as the same thought pondered his head again and again.

Aadi... was _gone_.

**A/N: Whew! That was LONG!**


	8. Chapter 8: Tidal Wave

Chapter 8: Tidal Wave

**A/N: A few more emotions of negativity. Disclaimer: I didn't write the song "Tidal Wave" by Owl City. Nor was I any part of it.**

The dreams were getting worse, Nigel realized. One had even mentioned bitterness of his parents and childhood, those times of frustration. But come to think of it now, they weren't really dreams, actually, but were more like memories. Blank states of where his life had once been. The shock of what he really acted like in those days as a poacher almost frightened him.

Almost.

More bits of his childhood, Freyja and... _Aadi_... A tiny frown appeared on his pondering face. Why had he felt so much grief? She'd stayed for a night and then was gone. Nigel felt like he'd failed something or someone. That vow wasn't strong enough. He still lost her.

_Depression. Loss. Weakness_.

_Anger_.

That was what he felt. Aadi was like a daughter to him, even when he knew her when he was a smuggler. But it seemed that Nigel endangered everyone he grew close to. Love was a strong, but _stupid_, thing. Of course it was, because it caught Blu in another cage, Rafael and Nico and Pedro too.

It had wounded Nigel himself; his parents loved him so much that they sent him off to the "Fly Hard" trainers. It had him ruined, nonetheless completely self-centered and, to cover up his rude side; suave. Then malicious when he was fired.

Love was beautiful, they say, but all Nigel saw was a vast trap.

He was in his nest. Nico and Pedro had gotten away safely, much to Blu's relief, but a couple other birds were snagged as the eagles made their way out of the jungle. Jewel ushered her children inside her own hollow; Blu confided Rafael about what happened.

Nigel knew nothing else of what had happened, because it felt like what had been at least an hour ago was only thirty seconds.

The image replayed in his exhausted brain.

"I was right." Nigel whispered to himself. "Love is such a stupid thing. Why bother with it?" his vision was dark and cloudy, so the cockatoo closed his eyes tentatively.

Words were forming slowly in his mind and fit together like puzzle pieces. To describe his frustration was like telling Freyja straight out why he was a smuggler. It was being honest, something he rarely did, and it was going to be very strange.

Nigel sighed, leaning up against tree bark for support. The fight had made him exhausted, even if it was short-lived and a little clean. Weariness seeped into his mind. Then the words fell from his beak, without him acknowledging it.

"**I wish I could cross my arms  
And cross your mind,  
Because I believe  
You'd unfold your paper heart  
And wear it on your sleeve.**"

He'd pictured Aadi the day before, her little feathers bushed up in defence. Sparkling with golden dew, her big round eyes resembled a soul containing deep compassion, though she'd felt none for him. Nigel laughed softly as he remembered her outburst of disbelief as Jewel told them that they had to stay together.

She didn't want to be taken care of by him, of all birds. With a wince, he remembered how much of an untrustworthy bird he used to be. That was probably why Aadi didn't like him too much, although her eagerness as a chick was heart warming. Nigel wished that he'd never been such a horrible creature more than ever.

"**All my life I wish I broke mirrors,  
Instead of promises,  
'Because all I see  
Is a shattered conscience  
Staring right back at me!**"

All those lies and horrible motives. He had been so spiteful and rude; yet his appearance remained the same. Where there was so much potential, there was ugly too. When Sunshine took his place, Nigel had turned to Marcel and his light headed allies. That was the ugly. That was what he saw in himself, at least.

But sometimes, when it came to poaching birds, apologies and regret itself was not enough. He wanted to forget it all so badly.

"**I wish I had covered all my tracks completely;  
Because I'm so afraid  
Is that the light at the far end of the tunnel,  
Or just the train?**"

* * *

"Along with Aadi, Diego, Sandy, Alberto and Alaric were poached. But we may be missing some. Nico got away with Pedro, and now everyone is hiding. I don't think anyone will be out for a couple of days. But that was quite the adventurous fight, Pedro claiming how he saved Nico ferociously. But you know how he likes to exaggerate!" confided Blu to Rafael. The toucan was listening intently with his wings crossed. He'd thought that the smuggling issue had been resolved, but it seemed that Marcel was being persistent.

If only the man could find a better way to live.

"Blu, did you ever consider asking anyone that had been there? I mean, to ask what directly happened, for sure?" Rafael inquired, casting his gaze to the exit of his hollow. They should go, and check on every other bird. It was dangerous because there may be remaining enemy. Blu looked startled at the question.

"Uh, no. I do know from Nico reporting that Nigel stepped in and aided him and Pedro. They told me that it was the same eagle as before, Silviene, the one who attacked Nigel in previous events. And when he protected Kathleen." Blu confirmed, though the last part was bitter and detained. Blu still couldn't get over that incredulous moment of integrity. Especially if it came from a feathery freak and bird murderer.

After all, was Nigel not the one who'd deliberately attempted to kill he and Jewel? Who, without second thought, rammed Blu into a cage while catching Jewel by the neck, and then she too, slammed into the cage wall?

Rafael shrugged. There was nothing that even the _toucan_ could do to change Blu's perspective of Nigel. Even when they had no choice but to give their old enemy a visit, in order to report to other birds. They couldn't ask Nico and Pedro because after a frightful event like that, they always scurried to The Branch. But alas, Rafael would still force Blu to accompany him while asking about Silviene. He smiled evilly and looked back at Blu, who caught his drift and gulped immediately.

"I don't have to, do I?" he mumbled, unable to meet the toucan's gaze. He received another malicous smile. "Great. Just great.

"Hey, if it makes you feel better, Jewel can come too."

"... That'll work. I'll have the kids stay here with Eva, if that's alright." Blu sighed wistfully. Although he'd hated the idea of visiting the ivory bird, he knew that Rafael had a point. Before they could assume carelessly what happened, they would have to contain and confirm the information. Even if desperation would drive them to an insane and selfish poacher. Blu felt no pity and was cautious of how he treated Nigel, but was, on the other wing, a little guilty of being so alert around him anyway.

So, therefore, he was pulled in a pretty tight tug-of-war battle.

Taking off for flight, Blu trailed Rafael as they glided down into the two last spix macaws' home. The chicks were munching on a tangerine-coloured mango bigger than all of them together, while Jewel sat at the other end of the nest, watching wearily.

She smiled at Rafael's arrival and leaped to meet Blu just as she spotted him come from behind. "Can you watch the kids? I want to rest, and I don't trust them too much." she questioned as the blue macaws neared each other. Blu smiled as always, but looked over at the little spix macaws demolishing the last of the fruit.

"Well, we were actually going to take the kids to Eva and head over to..." Mumbled Blu, unable to finish the sentence. Rafael rolled his eyes playfully and finished for the distressed navy bird.

"... To Nigel."

Jewel had no expression for a long time. Then she gazed in Blu's direction after a while and babbled, "_Finally_! After all my nagging and persistence, it actually paid off!" She smiled with Rafael as Blu groaned and hung his neck. Meanwhile, the kiddies scampered over to their father and circled him worriedly.

"What's wrong, daddy?"

"Did you hurt yourself?"

"It's okay!"

Looking up at Jewel, he smirked and gave them a group hug. "Daddy's fine; _Mommy_, on the other wing, is a different story. She's making me do something I don't want to do!"

Jewel crossed her wings. She had a cool look now, though it was breakable and playful. "And this is why you should never take after Daddy, kids. He's being a wimp." she shot back, triumphal. The kids gazed at her with big eyes and nodded at the important lesson. Kathleen piped up, making Jewel chuckle in amusement.

"But Mommy, aren't the Daddies supposed to be big and strong like... Well, daddies?"

Jewel took the baby under her wing. "I ask myself that everyday." She laughed, making Blu smile at the joke. The other two, Crystal and Alexis, were hugging their father like they never have before.

Kathleen has bronze brown eyes like her father but azure feathers inherited from Jewel, with darker stripes of royal blue riveting down her spine and tail feathers. Crystal got her name from the fact that she was an exact look alike of her mother; rich hue and teal eyes. Alexis had the brains and mahogany eyes like Blu. His feathers were spots of bright and ocean blue altogether.

But as Jewel cast her gaze over to Blu, she smirked. "You ready, scaredy bird?"

"Don't you mean scaredy cat?"

"I'm not used to these human terms, okay?"

In the next fifteen minutes, Blue and Jewel successfully transfering the chicks to Rafael's and Eva's, Rafael himself had gone to Nigel's hollow alone. The toucan, who was happily humming to himself despite the grim situation, dropped onto the weeping willow's branch and hopped from one to the other as he slowly made his way to the hole. The bark was rough and old, rumpled partly from the little battle going-on.

"Nigel?" He called, hoping to hear his response. But alas, there was only a faint sound of song ringing from the hole inside. Rafael peered in curiously and saw the cream cockatoo leaned up against the east side of the hollow. He sat numbly with his tired eyes closed, whispering a different chorus of tunes under his breath. Utter excitement perked inside of the midnight coloured toucan as he caught a trace of the lyrics.

It was rather strange to put it that way, but without realizing it, (or was he?) Nigel was remembering.

"**Lift your wings, only Heaven knows**  
**Where the danger grows**  
**And it's safe to say**  
**There's a bright light up ahead**  
**And help is on the way!**"

_'The danger grows'... Unease. The bright light resembles hope_, Rafael thought eagerly, ducking his head out of the hole so Nigel wouldn't see him. He listened closely to the soft voice murmuring.

"**I forget the last time I felt brave**  
**I just recall insecurity**  
**Because it came down like a tidal wave**  
**And sorrow swept over me**."

_Aadi..._ The toucan wondered where she was. _He feels bad for letting her down. But for what? _

"Hey, Rafael! Are you going to go in?" Blu and Jewel approuched with silent wings. They landed on his branch, curiously, though Blu's eyes were shimmering with slight fear. "I thought you're the one who wanted me to come, after all." Running his clear talons in circles on the tough bark, the sky blue macaw looked to Jewel. But she looked to Rafael in confusion.

"Well, aren't we going in?"

Rafael held up a wind patiently. "Wait." He murmured gently, "Just wait. Listen closely, all right?" Both of his companions nodded solemnly and scooched in closer for better hearing. Jewel was the one who heard it first, and gasped at the lyrics. She looked back up at Rafael, but he shook his head and told her to keep listening. It took a while, but Blu heard it too. His big bronze eyes widened with astonishment.

"What does it mean?" He questioned quietly, but recieved no answer. Nigel's ability to create any song out of the random just began to glow in a new kind of light. The words were gentle, told a story of learning. It was so different to what Blu had accustomed to, having hear Nigel's voice dozens of times and wondering if his voice was ever going to become a little gentler.

"**Depression, please cut to the chase**  
**And cut a long story short**  
**Oh, please be done, how much longer**  
**Can this drama afford to run?**"

Jewel blinked sadly. "Nigel's grieving. Aadi..."

"**Fate looks sharp, severs all my ties**  
**And breaks whatever doesn't bend**  
**But sadly then, all my heavy hopes**  
**Just pull me back down again...**"

Blu was shocked. "I never knew. Was he always like this...?" Rafael shushed him. Both the macaws could sense his relief and excitement. Finally, the cockatoo showed a little compassion. But was it coincidence that the first glimmer of it was for a chick, and if so, for what reason?

"**I forget the last time I felt brave**  
**I just recall insecurity**  
**'Cause it came down like a tidal wave**  
**And sorrow swept over me.**"

"**Then I was given grace and love**  
**I was blind but now I can see**  
**'Cause I found a new hope from above**  
**And courage swept over me.**"

"**It hurts just to wake up**  
**Whenever you're wearing thin**  
**Alone on the outside**  
**So tired of looking in,**"

"He doesn't want to see what he's done in the past." Jewel sighed with a tiny smile.

"**The end is uncertain**  
**And I've never been so afraid**  
**But I don't need a telescope**  
**To see that there's hope**  
**And that makes me feel brave**."

Then came a growl. "Guys, you do know that I can hear you, right?" The three eavesdropping birds stiffened with embarassment. Out of the hole and staring at them angrily was Nigel, his wings crossed. The birds stared awkwardly back, unsure what to say. But Jewel spoke first.

"That was beautiful."

"Yeah, well, I kind of preferred it when you guys went to the little yellow bird and the over weight, crimson chest for music." Nigel retorted, narrowing his eyes. His crest was slowly raising from where it had flattened on his head. Then he turned to Blu. "And what do _you_ want, molding cheese? I thought you hated me." Rafael blinked once, turing his head to look at Blu. But the bird, thankfully, was not offended but was quite fearful. Then the black toucan stepped forward.

"Nigel. Calm down, will you?" lectured Rafael, mimicking Nigel by crossing his wings. "We meant no exposure. We were only here for business."

"Yeah. Business." Echoed Nigel sarcastically. His face was of cool anger.

Jewel shoved Blu forward, where the blue bird stammered and stumbled nervously, his brown eyes darting from Nigel's glare to the ground. It scared him to see the cockatoo so angry. "Ah-well-you see-" His voice shook nervously. "We-um-we wanted to, um-" Nigel pulled his beak back into a snarl as he watched Blu tremble in front of him.

"Spit it out, pretty bird."

"We wanted to ask you about what happened directly!" Blu sputtered quickly.

Nigel's eyes closed for a moment, painfully. When he opened them again, he apologized to Blu and said something he never thought he would tell the three birds. "I'm sorry. I don't have the time..." Jewel opened her mouth, but he wasn't finished.

"I'm going to find her."


	9. Chapter 9: Fuschia

Chapter 9: Fuschia, 'Big Sister'

**(A/N: I've made some pictures of OC's and scenes on deviantart. If you want to see them, look up 321Dreamer123 on deviantart (that's my username) and look at the gallery. There's only three so far, but I hope to build the number of images (and maybe one-shot comics) with the more encouragements I get.)**

The wind howled against the rising storm. Nigel struggled to fly as the air currents tossed him from his path to Ipanema, and he cursed the weather for being so _stupid_. Why, of all days, did today have to be a start of a tornado?

Nigel hissed to himself, landing on the nearest store. It happened to be a restaurant, and he resided to standing on the gray concrete rooftop. There was a big block of cement that had a hole that could be big enough for any bird, and a good shield for the wind. He sighed and preened himself for a moment, letting his bronze brown eyes close for just a moment, before hearing a menacing and hatred-filled voice from behind.

"What are you doing here? This is my turf."

The ivory bird cocked an eyebrow while turning around to face this newcomer. He was a sky blue parakeet, but very much the size of a parrot. The parakeet had big emerald eyes that were tropical and fresh, but behind the hue was an unwelcoming expression of hate and anger.

Nigel's eyes widened slightly as realization hit him: this was one of the other birds that were smuggled! Keeping his composure, the cockatoo straightened himself calmly and opened his silver beak to explain. "I'm looking for a bir-"

"Yeah? Well, I'm not helping you smuggle anyone. Find 'em on your own!" the livid bird retorted hotly, puffing out his azure feathers and scowling. He narrowed his peridot eyes angrily.

"And if you don't get off my building, you'll get what's coming to you. Don't say I didn't warn you, 'cause you won't have a crest anymore. Now get away!" Nigel was not a bird to be bossed around, but it was territory that they were talking about.

Taking a deep breath, the snowy bird turned away, but not before uttering something.

"Get your family inside. There's a tornado coming."

And with that, as he stretched his wings to take off, a voice pierced through the howling wind. "What's going on here?" Nigel dropped his wings at the feminine voice, and turned his head to peer at a younger parakeet.

She had landed to meet her ally, who was beside the block on cement, before looking between both males with her fuchsia eyes. Her yellow feathers were as bright as the sun on a typical Rio day, but now they blew roughly in the wind and prickled with the cold. The pretty parakeet smiled at Nigel, but it was empty and grudge-filled.

"Oh wait, don't tell me. You were trying to find someone? Well, no help here. Please leave."

Heart filled with despair, Nigel turned away for the second time. However, the marigold parakeet must have seen his desperation through his maple leaf eyes, because she called him to a stop.

"I'm sorry. I didn't... Understand."

The female with the lavender eyes was referring to the expression on his face. Nigel stopped himself for the _third_ time and turned himself so that he was half-facing the pair. She was looking at him sympathetically. "What's your name? You've never told any of us... Back then."

"Nigel." He responded loudly over the strong wind. He grew curious. "What is _your_ name?"

The friendly adolescent parakeet giggled, much to her guardian's anger. Her eyes gleamed as she introduced herself. "My name is Fuschia. It's the same pronunciation as the color fuchsia, but different spelling. My father's name is Azure." Azure looked none-too-pleased at the mention of his name, and growled at his daughter. Nigel noticed this and took a tentative step away, careful of a possible argument break-out, but was paused by Fuschia. She rolled her eyes in an amused manner, chuckling at Nigel's caution.

"Oh, don't worry about Azure. He's just grumpy right now."

"And always will be if you aren't going to stop introducing us to complete strangers and insane cockatoos." Nigel didn't need a hint to know that Azure was referring to him. "You have to be more careful! What if we were to get smuggled again, like last time?" the mahogany-eyed bird felt sick to his stomach at the mention of it. Fuschia looked over at Nigel and then angrily at Azure, who was glaring hard at the ivory bird.

The older parakeet continued. "I don't want him here." to Nigel, he added, "Clear out, you lune."

"No!" Fuschia objected fiercely, moving in front of her father. "We find out what's going on first. Then we help!"

Why should we help him? He never helped us!"

"Because he's changed! I see it in his eyes!"

"He has not changed!"

"Yes, he has!"

"No, he has not!"

"_Yes_!"

"_No_!"

Nigel felt uncomfortable; his crest was now twitching and he resisted the urge to flick it up and tell them both the obvious: that he was right there, and didn't like to listen to an argument about himself. To watch a teenager and her father 'differ' just increased the embarrassment, over the wind of a brewing tornado. The white cockatoo scraped his talons along the concrete roof of the restaurant and shivered of cold, ruffling his feathers and shifting them to create a shard of warmth that may be left.

He backed away and turned around, careful not to cause noise, when he heard Fuschia's voice complain, "See? You scared away yet another bird! Keep this up and we'll never meet anyone!" Nigel stiffened with embarrassment as he felt her gaze rest on his back.

"Please, don't leave. We can help you." the little parakeet pleaded, flying over to him. He stopped and glanced at her. She sighed in relief. "Okay?" Fuschia asked, oblivious to his awkwardness. The golden bird crossed her wings confidently yet a brief hesitation passed behind her eyes.

"Er... Okay." Nigel agreed, flattening his feathers. "But, can we find a warmer place? It's freezing, and that's strange, considering that it's Rio we're talking about." Azure growled, but Fuschia nodded and gestured towards the block of stone that contained a hole. All three birds scurried over and in, just as the rain broke out.

At first, it was hard to see. The cloud white bird strained his eyes, trying to form the shapes and shadows through the darkness.

Then, as a flash of lightening struck the sky overhead, Nigel saw that this was a vent that led to the inside of the restaurant.

The chrome-silver walls were gleaming as the three made their way down, planning to get food from the friendly chef that cooked vegetables much to their liking. _Well_, Nigel mused, _much to Azure and Fuschia's liking, of course. I wonder how Aadi is..._ Pain pierced his heart as he thought of her trapped in a cage, waiting to be shipped off.

His thoughts were cloudy and felt hopeless, but as they went through the labyrinth of twists and turns, Nigel saw a warm light at the end of the tunnels. It shone a bright white, flickering ever so often. And sure enough, they reached the ends of the vents, and squeezed through the crack between metal bars and into the hot, stuffy kitchen. The chef was at work, his hands fast moving and nimble on a stove parallel to the birds.

The man with the white clothing turned around to see them on the ground, looking at him wearily. The tanned chef laughed.

"Oh, so you're coming for your daily veggies, amigos? And hey, who's this? A new cockatoo, which I could have sworn I saw it on TV." Nigel sighed; Fuschia looked at him sympathetically and chirped at the Brazilian chef. She climbed up his pants by hauling herself with her beak, and sat perched on his shoulder while looking over at the sautéed vegetables sizzling in the pan. Then the adolescent turned her yellow head to stare pleadingly at the man.

Sahib chuckled and reached out at the counter settled beside his appliance, grabbing a couple of mangos and tossing them at Azure and Nigel, while giving Fuschia the diced pieces.

She slid gracefully down Sahib's arm and fell to the floor, chewing happily as the juices made her mouth water. Nigel stared at the mango in front of him and gently pushed it away, at the loss of his appetite. "You said you could help me... F... Fuschia? You don't look very purple." He implored, ignoring his empty stomach. She swallowed and took his own mango. Then she smiled.

"Yeah, I'm not purple. I didn't decide the name. But MAYBE we can help you. Who are you searching for?"

"A chick. Specifically a cockatoo. Red feathers from her head to shoulders, the rest white. She has little curly feathers at the top of her head. She was smuggled too, but got away when the plane crashed. I..." He trailed off, looking at his talons while trying to mentally hide himself. Azure narrowed his eyes in suspicion as Nigel forced himself to continue, struggling to keep his thoughts running.

"I found her after, but some eagles snagged her and some others, and I fear that the past may repeat. Except that I'm not the 'bad guy' this time," he added with a little chuckle, once again picturing the female eagle being screeched at by her brother.

But despite his joke, Fuschia's, along with Azure's, eyes flew wide. "I knew her! She referred to me as her big sister! But I don't think I've seen her anywhere. We'll help you find her, and I mean we," she snapped when Azure crossed his wings, "... But it's reached the end of the day. We will search in the morning. By the way, how long were you searching for?"

Nigel took a deep breath while the tropical tornado began. "All day since yesterday. I've gotten no rest since."

"Well, you can stay here for the night, and wait for the tornado to pass." Lowering her eyes, she murmured, "I guess Day One was a failure."


	10. Chapter 10: Through the Enemy's Eyes

Two shapes moved swiftly from cage to cage, bearing smiles only the insane could begin to understand. One of the dark figures was particularly glad that it was dark, so that it was easier to terrify the smaller birds and simpler to move around stealthily. "Silviene, do you think..." Sagar crowed loudly, "...That these _poor_ birds will be rescued?" The peridot-designed eagle snarled the word 'poor' spitefully. The reactions, despite the dark, were to flinch at the remark. Silviene stood behind his brother with a malicious grin on his face.

The question was answered with a little "Nope" and a flap of wings; the other eagle had gone to a particular cage. Inside, three cowering chicks huddled together in the corner, one with familiar red head feathers and deep golden eyes dripping with fear. One other was a parrot chick had teal green and blue hues and electric auburn eyes, and the last was a scarlet red macaw with a lighter layer of rose outlining the frosty blue eyes. Silviene snarled at them, which set them squishing amongst each other. "You, with the red head." both the chicks with what he could have been referring to looked over at Silviene.

However, he let out a hiss of frustration. "No, I mean the one with the gold eyes." Aadi, trembling, pushed past her allies and stood at the front of the cage, looking at her talons. The white tailed eagle let out a sneer. "Look at me!" He screeched, shaking the courage out of the chick as she raised her head. Tears were threatening to fall from her face. "Now," the dark figured bird whispered, "Answer me one question." Aadi nodded rapidly, eager to get as far away from him as possible.

"How do you know him?"

"Who-wh..." the poor thing found that her small, childish voice had run away from her altogether. She gulped, retreating her golden gaze to the ground. He growled impatiently.

"You might want to tell me before you end up with more scars on your little face," Silviene threatened while moving his beak closer to the cage. The cockatoo stared at him with widened eyes and backed away, tears now running freely. Aadi couldn't believe it herself, but she really wanted Nigel here instead. He'd never hurt her like this fearsome eagle did to get her talking in the first place.

"How could you speak to her like that?" A voice spat; a third eagle joined the conversation. None had heard of her arrival because of the eagles' silent wings, but her brother made room as Abina settled beside him. "Silviene, she's only a child. Be reasonable." the violet-fluorescent designed female pleaded, rounding her mineral blue eyes at the young chick. Silviene scowled and shook his head slowly.

"What kind of argument is that?" he countered hotly. "True; she's a chick, but imagine the information we can get out of her! Nigel's weakness, strengths. We can prepare if he ever finds us." Silviene fluffed out his feathers gleefully. There was a strange look in his eye, not insane, but strange nonetheless. Abina stepped away from him slowly, but shamed herself and replaced the footsteps. She shouldn't be afraid of her own brother! Her sibling continued his strong argument. "This kid could be our key to smuggling, you know. She might know everything about Nigel. She might not. But it's worth a try, right?"

"No!" Abina shouted back. "For christ's sake, she's just a little one! They don't pay much attention to what birds' weaknesses are! Think, for a moment. If you're wrong, you'll be making a very big mistake. After all, it seemed as if she were under Nigel's care, and if you bring her any more harm, he'll rip you to bits. The poor thing..." Abina sighed, looking sympathetically over at the scarlet-headed Aadi. Her ivory features below her head were fluffed up in fear as her peers were trying to comfort her. Silviene stared at Abina in disgust.

"What's wrong with you?" he hissed acidly, "Our job was very specific—to smuggle—and you're taking it like it's some kind of game! We do what we need to, yet you have been joking with the stupid, precious, colourful birds and playing with their young! This is serious, sister." Silviene lowered his voice in a pained whisper. "You're distant, Abina. You're not yourself lately. What's gotten to you?" He sat on the cold ground, watching her repeat the motion. He sighed in annoyance as she refused to answer. "You know, I've always looked out for you and Sagar. If you don't tell me what's up, than how am I supposed to? I'm your brother, Abina. Please understand that."

The female eagle looked at her brown talons. "I'm sorry. It just feels so... Wrong." Silviene nodded sympathetically. Abina continued in a lowered voice. "Why do we have to do this? It's not right, and you know it. Oh! I know!" her voice rose in excitement. "Silviene, we can start over. Escape here, abandon this wrong deed. We can go to New Zealand! Travel-" Silviene's gaze darkened at these ideas and interrupted Abina before she could continue.

"_No_, Abina. This is our life now. This may feel wrong to you. I understand that. But this, this _is_ our start-over. I also know that you _don't_ understand." As the older eagle turned his back to her, he caught a glimpse of hurt in her lazuli eyes. His grassy green softened and he began to walk away into the darkness, but paused and added hesitantly, "Abina, I don't think I can trust you with this. If you continue to fight against our orders, I will be forced to keep you out of it." there was a sharp intake of air. The white-tailed eagle continued to walk while muttering so she couldn't hear.

"You, my little sister, are like mother." And with that, the emerald-eyed bird was not heard of for a long while.

* * *

Nigel sighed briefly and glanced over his shoulder. He could have sworn he'd heard something, but shook it away. Azure glanced his way; it lasted no longer than a moment before he looked at the concrete below. "Aadi." Nigel whispered under his breath, hoping that it was mentally possible to communicate like that. The tornado had left Ipanema in pieces; he'd hoped that wherever she was, the young chick was safe and sound and sleeping peacefully. The red headed cockatoo had accustomed to having nightmares after her unusual childhood experience; it still stung Nigel with guilt when he recalled it.

"I hope you are safe. I would hate to think that they hurt you. And, most of all..." he found himself unable to finish. It was difficult to say out loud after the many times he'd thought it to be powerful but stupid. Nigel was standing on the edge of the building with Azure and Fuschia to his left. He'd kept his distance so that they wouldn't hear what he was saying. "... And most of all... I..." trailing off, he studied the palm trees that had fallen over and crushed little stores nearby. "... Never mind..." Nigel couldn't bring himself to say it at all.

"Sweet nightmares... Okay?" it wasn't meant as a grim statement. Just to give some words of comfort because of her lack of ordinary childhood dreams. Blinking a couple of times, Nigel turned to Azure and Fuschia. He looked confident and positive now. "Shall we begin?" He offered, struggling to hide his concern for the young chick. Fuschia hopped over to his side and nodded; Azure grudgingly followed. The three leaped off of the building and became airborne to the wind. Nigel sighed and closed his tired eyes as the wind ruffled his weary feathers. He vowed to himself not to sleep at all until he knew the poor thing was safe.

Which he would make sure that _was_ what he would find.

"What are you thinking about?" Fuschia asked, whisking through the air to his left. She was an utterly curious one. Nigel looked at her and shook his head slowly, not wanting to answer the question. It was his fault. If he hadn't been sleeping in, he could have protected Aadi. The yellow parakeet had a smilet on her small face, as if awaiting her chance to keep going. "Well, if you're not going to tell me, you might as well choose the place to search. Like... Wait, what direction did the eagles fly in?" It was another spontaneous question, but this time, Nigel answered.

"Towards the mountains, near the beach." yes, the precise direction was there. Nigel closed his eyes again and, in his mind's eye, pictured Aadi snuggled against Freyja. It took him back into a memory.

_Nigel was perched on Marcel's wrist. The man was having yet another argument with some French accented woman. From the sounds of it, she was pretty hard core and intelligent. She was a business person who knew how to bargain and get what she wanted. The cockatoo could tell all of that because of the livid expression on Marcel's face. And for some odd reason, it amused Nigel so thoroughly. "Yes, yes. We'll have the birds in by tomorrow... Yeah, au revior to you too." Marcel chanted, annoyed._

Ahahah..._ Nigel silently chuckled at the look on Marcel's face. Jumping off his arm, the bird landed onto his man-made 'branch' that lurched from the high wall. Nigel watched as his ally left while telling Tipa and Armando to feed him. Smiling maliciously, Nigel awaited both gazes to be fixed on him before winking at the two; how he loved to tease them! They gulped uneasily at the look on Nigel's face and did a rock, paper, scissors competition. The ivory cockatoo rolled his eyes_. You guys are huge wimps_. He thought, ignoring Tipa's idiotic complaints that Armando always won._

_Tipa approached Nigel's plastic branch with great caution. He held a chicken leg in one clutch, and stretched a trembling hand forward to give it out. The man probably thought that the bird was going to chew his fingers off. Watching the leg carefully, Nigel bushed up his crest and lunged out at it, seizing it between his fearsome talons. Tipa screamed and shut his eyes, pulling his arm back close to him and, after opening his mahogany eyes again, examined his unharmed fingers. Then Tipa stared back up at the cockatoo as he began eating it, lip curling in disgust. "Ugh. _Cannibal_." Rubbing his arm, he walked back to Armando and sat down on the couch, watching the TV obsessively._

_Nigel rolled his eyes and chomped down onto the greasy and repulsing meat, shuddering as it slid down his throat. _God_, he thought, _I hate this. Why am I even eating it?_ In his revulsion, the white cockatoo tore the meat off and tossed it onto the ground without Tipa or Armando noticing, and then the bird glided into the other room. This time, he wouldn't change his mind because of Aadi. This time, he'd do it. Nigel would sing his new mascot. And with two new pretty birds among them, it would definitely help make his mark. _

_He felt something in his mouth as he slid the bone along the cage walls. It was a piece of chicken. Letting it get stuck on the side of his beak, he grinned maliciously and leaned down to a cage full of blue and black finches. "Something seems to be lodged in my beak. Would you mind?" The birds squawked as they pushed past each other to the back of the cage. One, who was unfortunate, was slower and in his panic, scurried to squish against his friends. But they pushed him back out, and he met stares with Nigel, who was grinning nonstop and opened his beak. The finch reached a foot out to get it. At the last moment, Nigel snapped it shut and the bird who was trying to get the chunk of chicken cringed back, almost losing his foot. Nigel laughed._

_He heard something close to a gasp, before it got muffled by another bird's wing. Nigel looked up and around to Freyja's cage, where the mother bird was giving him a burning glare while hiding Aadi with one wing. She was asking him something. He knew very well what it was but ignored her and, without hesitation, became airborne to land on the newcomers' cage. "Oh, I know I'm not a pretty birdie." Nigel growled. "But I used to be quite a looker." With a glance over at the poster that said 'Fly Hard', he added, "A star."_

_He dropped onto one of the crates and put one wing on the poster. "Lights... Camera... Action." Smiling, he hopped from cage to cage while singing._

_"**I was striking suave, ambitious**  
**Feet to beak, so birdylicious**  
**Now I'm vial, I am villain, and vicious, oh, and malicious.**" He trapped one bird with a talon while it attempted to run away. Then he let go at the last word._

"**I was tall, a TV show, women too**  
**I was just whole, over one foot two**  
**Then the got a pretty parakeet to fill my shoes**  
**That's why I am so evil why I do what I do**."

"**(****He ****was**** superstar)" **_Nigel grinned as he rolled a globe down his spine and caught it again._

"_**So young and**_**_ vital_!**"

"**(****He's nasty)**_" Some birds trembled as Nigel looked them in the eye. He made his face closer to the globe and pointed out South America._

"**A South-American Idol!**"

"**(He's** **a suspicious bird)**_" The fearsome cockatoo made a face._

"**Who said that about me?**"

"**(A very vicious bird)**_" A look of anger grew in his hazel eyes. He whirled to see the birds who dared to sing that._

"**I'll have you rotisseried!**"

"**I was the king of telling novellas**  
**The envy of all the other fellows**  
**Then I was pushed out for a Pretty Polly parakeet from Paraguay they called Patricious**..."

He paused for a brief moment and added, uncertain,"**...Common Paraguayan name**."

"**(He's a nasty bird)**_"_

"**I'm insidious**."

"**(He's** **nasty)**_"_

**"Oh, I'm** **hideous!**"

**"(****He**** was a real macaw**_**)"  
**_  
_**"I'm a** cockatoo_."

**"(An obscene bird)"**_**  
**_  
_**"Yeah, that word's true."**_

_**"I'm a feathery freak**_  
_**With a beak**_  
_**A bird murderer**_  
_**You think you're better than me**_  
_**I never heard of ya**_  
_**I'm evil**_  
_**I fill your cheese ball with weavils**_  
_**I poop on people**_  
_**And I blame it on seagulls." **With a low voice, Nigel gestured to one of the seagulls that was smuggled by accident._

_**"It was him."**_

**"(He's a nasty bird)"  
**  
_**"I'm invincible."  
**_  
**"(He's nasty)"  
**  
_**"I'm unminceable**_  
_**I'm unwashable**_  
_**Unrinceaple**_  
_**Like an abandoned school,**_  
_**I have no principal!"**_  
_  
"**All of you Brazilian birds**  
**All 18 million birds**  
**I'll tell you what I'm going to do**  
**I'm going to make you-" **Nigel broke off as some others harmonized._

"Shut up now, shut up! It's just me." He looked down with a blank expression. Then he grinned at Jewel maliciously and snatched her by the throat. She struggled to get away, clawing at his talons.

**"I will make you ugly too."**

_There was a little gasp again, coming from Aadi. He let go of Jewel and ignored it, laughing at the birds' faces. They were so _terrified_. Then he left the room, leaving Freyja to soothe the young chick. He settled on his fake branch for the night, closing his eyes. At the last second of his conscience, he felt something drive him awake. "Just as I was hoping to get some sleep." He muttered under his breath. Nigel dropped to the floor and scowled to himself._

_And then he remembered Aadi's reaction throughout the song. He'd guessed the parts 'Bird Murdurer' and the way he said 'I'm insidious' frightened her, as did it with the others. But why was he so concerned for one small chick? Nigel, being lazy, walked to the smuggler's den. There was sniffling and whimpering, and a female hushing noise. _Crap. _The cockatoo swallowed the bile that was raising in his throat._

_Hopping from cage to cage, Nigel had his talons outstretched when clutching Freyja's cage top. He looked down to see Freyja cradling Aadi in her wings, because the young one was sleeping. Cold sweat was trickling down Aadi's face as she twitched and dug herself into the protection of Freyja's grasp. Nigel sensed that Freyja knew of his arrival, so he spoke. "What's wrong with her?"_

_The female cockatoo rolled her eyes and stared up at him sarcastically. "Just being scarred for life, what do you think?"_

_Then they both stared down at Aadi, whispering in unison. "Nightmare." Nigel flinched as the female turned her back on him._

_"You know what this means, don't you?"_

_"That for the rest of her life, she'll be dreaming the same thing over and over?" He guessed. It made sense, after having such a traumatic time for a childhood. Freyja nodded wearily and looked over her shoulder at him._

_"But it also means that she won't trust you anymore. That's probably what you want, isn't it?" Nigel hung his head for a moment, then nodded regretfully. "Good." She responded. "Goodnight." The bid of the twilight sounded hollow and angry, but the larger cockatoo could take a hint. _

_After all, he'd just made her only daughter's life worse than it already was._

**(A/N: A little longer than what I'm used to, but nonetheless fun to write!)**


	11. Chapter 11: Nothing More Than Trouble

Chapter Eleven: Nothing More Than Trouble

"See anything?"

Nigel, perched on a branch in one of the highest palm trees, scored the Ipanema city from the Mountain View while a gentle ocean breeze caressed his face. He took a deep breath of salty sea water and blinked, turning his head ever so slightly to the ocean. "Not much. Water, water, and oh, there's water." he called back, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He fluffed out his vibrant white feathers in the warm wind. Nigel's marigold-coloured crest was flattened calmly as he stated the fact.

Fuschia bit down on the bark as she climbed up onto the branch. Nigel was still pondering about why she didn't fly to get up there instead, but brushed it off. It didn't matter; as long as she got where she needed, Fuschia would be fine. She then settled a few inches away and studied the heavens from his view. "Well, we can ask around. Maybe a couple of parrots or someone else. Nigel, I've been meaning to ask you..." the golden parakeet hesitated. The stocky-built cockatoo turned his head to her, listening, and it encourage her to continue the bold question. "How do you know Aadi? I thought that she was just 'one of those birds' to you."

"She is _not_ 'one of those birds'!" He spat, then catching himself and heaving a sigh. The adolescent shrugged his anger away and tilted her head, causing him to then look to his talons. "She was everything to me. And Freyja." both the birds let out sighs of melancholy at the name. Everyone knew the headstrong, bright spirited female. She was the angel of the forest, as some liked to say. Freyja's interest was to defend the weak and understand others. It was why she earned the name 'The Guardian Angel.' Fondly, Nigel felt a flicker of amusement pass through him. "Aadi has her mother's spirit and fire. You want to know the whole story? I can tell you that."

Fuschia leaned against the tree bark. "I'll get comfortable." She folded her wings behind her head luxuriously and stretched, puffing out her chest feathers. He blinked out the sun rays and took a deep breath, preparing to launch himself into a long story.

"Okay. Where to begin... I suppose I'll start with her history. Aadi was fatherless. Her mother had trouble feeding herself as well as another mouth, and both knew Rafael—a toucan—very well. Before the blue macaws' poach, I found the little chick just in her nest. She must have been a newborn. Before I could even get near it, Fuschia attacked me from behind and we had a short one-on-one fight. Obviously, my size overpowered her strength, and in a moment I had her neck loosely in one of my talons. She stared at me but then asked me to take Aadi as well. I shrugged and did it. _Big mistake_."

Fuschia stared over at him curiously. "Why? Why was it a mistake?" Nigel chuckled.

"I'll get to that. I reached in and snagged Aadi, but the chick was holding an eggshell the size of her head. It was very important to her, as far as I could tell. But I couldn't have cared less. I took them back to Marcel, and he praised me before setting both in one of those iron cages. They were put into the den with the rest. I, of course, was set on revenge... As you know. The frequent times I visited, Aadi always had that little eggshell on her head. Fuschia and I eventually became friendly rivals, because she was the only one that wasn't afraid." Affection glimmered in his maple-brown eyes.

"But then there was a really cold night. You and Azure probably slept right through it; as did everyone else except a certain duet. Aadi was shivering like crazy, because even Freyja's heat was seeping away. I offered to help, and Freyja accepted. Unfortunately, Aadi remembered that small act of compassion and started to give me friendly stares. Then something inside of me changed—I didn't think of her as any other bird. She was what made me feel better. Perhaps like a father as well."

"Then—wait, do you remember the song?" Nigel peered over his shoulder at the yellow parakeet as he asked the question. Fuschia nodded grimly. "Well, the night I sang that, I mentally damaged Aadi's brain. She would, no longer, dream of happy dreams like flying similar to any other chick; that song was the last straw of her happiness. That was the big mistake I spoke about earlier... And I... Kind of hate myself for it." He sighed wistfully, gazing out at the cool ocean waves lapping at the beach sand. Then Nigel continued.

"You got out at the plane crash, because Blu was just being... Well, Blu. He was a rather smart bird, but he only presumed that he got everyone out of their cages. Aadi and her mother were at the very back, stacked under cages upon cages and hidden by crates. I'm sure they cried out for help, but the plane's engine blocked it out. Freyja was killed in the incident... But Aadi... She lived..." Fuschia was delicately aware of the pain it caused Nigel to remember it all. He had closed his eyes, which were twitching beneath the eyelids, and pain seared through his chest.

"Rafael eventually found the plane crash area, and he described the eggshell bits, and that's how I knew it was her. I felt so relieved, but so afraid when I found out that there was scattered blood. Aadi was terrified to see me at first, but then gave me the cold shoulder from then on." Fuschia felt fascination burn underneath her skin; this bird had been through so much with Aadi. Nigel, however, felt no fascination at all. Only disgust with himself. _Why?_ He asked himself. _Why did I do all of those horrid motivations?_

He smelled the salty air and sighed for the last time. Then he leaped off the branch, Fuschia following, and both landed, half airborne, on the ground far below. Azure had been standing there, patiently awaiting their arrival upon the grassy mountain ground, looking as if he were about to report an entire day's worth of news. But it only came out as a couple of words.

"Okay, so... There's a cave up there. Maybe, if someone lives there, we can ask them if they've seen any eagles around here." Nigel stared at the royal blue parakeet with a sceptical gaze, but shrugged it off. Azure had caught this unsure impression and, after a brief hesitation, asked, "What?"

"Well... There're bats in this kind of terrain. What if they live there?"

Azure shrugged and turned his back to Nigel, spreading open his glorious blue wings. He flapped them hard, lifting from the ground and becoming airborne to the wind. Nigel exchanged a glance with the adolescent by his side, before blinking and flying after Azure. "I guess there's no worrying... Yet." the ivory cockatoo muttered under his breath. The ground beneath them began to slope and steepen as they flew higher on the mountain. The terrain became rocky and loose, making the eerie silence surrounding them threatening.

Nigel felt his crest begin to rise with alarm, and he guessed that Azure felt it as well, because the feathers on the blue bird's wings were fluffing up. Fuschia simply cast an uneasy gaze around. She knew that her father would never admit that Nigel was right; though defensive, the father parakeet certainly had pride as well. Azure wouldn't want to give it up to an 'insane' cockatoo. Sighing impatiently, she increased her speed and flew beside Azure. He gave her a confident stare, which made her certain that he had pride.

Clouds were drifting in for yet another storm. Wind howled around the three birds and tossed them around, as if teasing them and waiting for lightning to strike. Nigel just barely managed to stay on his wings and, feeling relief at the sight of a large mouth opening from the rocks of the mountain, dropped in front of it and stared into the deep darkness. Shadows seemed like they shifted inside but when Nigel looked, there was nothing there. His snowy, soft chest feathers gently prickled with suspicion. "I don't like this place."

Azure rolled his eyes as he landed gracefully beside Nigel. "Oh, grow up. It's not such a big deal." he sniffed, preening his gorgeous blue feathers. Nigel scowled and cocked his head angrily. He was quickly thinking of a combat to use. Then it came to him: Azure seems to love his precious feathers, so maybe the cockatoo should...!

"Then I suppose it's not a big deal for me... To do this!" without warning, Nigel lunged out with his beak and grabbed a mouthful of Azure's blue shoulder feathers, yanking them right out of his skin. The parakeet let out a yelp of pain and anguish before jumping away from the large cockatoo, spitting in rage. And meanwhile, all Nigel was spitting was sky blue feathers that were clumped in his mouth. Then, as most fell to the ground, Nigel stared up at a livid Azure cheekily.

"Sorry, your highness. Got a little... Erm, carried away." The white bird snickered, feeling a soft feather in his mouth. He then used his tongue to push it to the side of his beak, making it get stuck on the edge. "Something seems to be lodged in my beak. Would you mi-" With a surprised shout, Nigel was tackled by Azure. The parakeet pinned him to the ground, where the larger bird stared face-to-face with him, a bemused expression sprouting into a cocky smile. "You know, Azure, that we're here to look for help?"

In a swift motion, Nigel thrust the light blue bird off and as the parakeet charged at him again, the cockatoo lazily held up a foot and embedded Azure's head in it. The parakeet was running now, but was not getting any closer.

"Would you two stop? It's getting quite annoying." chided Fuschia, who was standing off to the side while the 'play' fight took place. Her glowing yellow wings were crossed as she pulled her beak back into a snarl. Nigel grudgingly put his foot down, causing Azure to fall over. Now _that_ was something that the white cockatoo couldn't hold back a smirk. Then the adolescent parakeet gestured to the cave. The cold, unwelcoming, empty, harsh cave. Sighing, Nigel took a tentative step inside, overlooking his dark surroundings.

"It seems all right..." he whispered, as if any bird who could hear him were incredibly close. He did not like caves at all. It reminded him of his own weakness. Shaking the thought away, the bird began to walk down the sub terrain. His companions trailed him as he uneasily stumbled around; it seemed to get darker with each passing second. "Be careful, there's a few moist spots here and there." warned Nigel, keeping his strong composure in place. He finally let his yellow crest slowly reach towards the heavens above the wet, slick cavern tunnel.

Something touched his foot. Flinching at the furry feeling, Nigel continued to march down the subterranean area with his feet growing slimy of the moist dirt. Heaving a deep breath of mineral earth, the cockatoo heard hushed whispers hissing from the shadows. He called out to them curiously. "Is anyone there?" the whispers went silent instantly, as if alarmed by his presence. He turned back to Fuschia and Azure, confused. "Did you hear that?"

Something in the shadows screeched, making the trio jump. Fuschia, shaking, looked down at her feet, of which no one could see because of the flooding darkness. "S-something's got me." Nigel backed over to her and kneeled as he reached towards her talons. Another screech rang around the cavern, and suddenly, darkness itself tackled Nigel. He shouted in surprise as he landed on his belly, chin dug in the dirt. Azure and Fuschia were pinned down the same way with black figures toppling over all three.

Then, red eyes glinted in front of them all; light poured into the area from who-knows-where, and what stood before them was a bat. It was huge, compared to regular nocturnal creatures, but when the fearsome creature grinned at the trio birds, Nigel in particular, the male cockatoo shuddered.

Its fangs glistened with scarlet red blood.

_Animal_ blood.


	12. Chapter 12: Busted!

Chapter Twelve: Busted!

Fear clogged the throats of each pinned-to-the-ground bird. Nigel hardly managed not to look away from the bat figure in front of the trio and, without hesitation, asked questions. "Who are you?" his usually calm voiced now distinguished distrust and strangeness. The smooth, creamy yellow crest of Nigel's twitched as he stared at the furry, brown-black bat. Red eyes gleamed from it's face of hunger. When the nocturnal bat grinned again, showing the bloodstained teeth, Nigel winced.

"Who... Am I? I get that question less frequently instead of 'what do you want with us'. My name is Horus." the bat crossed his skinny wings over his furry body. "I should tell you that one of my people mentioned something about being poached. They were talking about a big white bird with pink bags under his eyes..." the bat leaned in towards Nigel, his smile never ceasing. "... And worked for poacher men."

This comment caused Nigel to feel extremely self-conscious. With a side glance to his left, he spotted Fuschia not bothering to fight back against the bats who had her pinned.

Suddenly, Nigel felt a million pairs of eyes staring straight at him. He knew very well that they were no bats, but the Burden. _Please,_ he thought frantically, _go away! Not now! _To his relief, the watchful feeling ceased.

The leader bat stood up straight and put his hands on his hips. There was a displeased expression growing in his eyes as the brown, furry creature mulled over the fact that Nigel was the bird spoken about. "You look menacing enough. But the thing is, you look rather urgent. Who are you searching for?" Nigel stared with a confused expression. Then he shook it away.

"No one in particular; we're looking for a group of birds. One in that group who is very important to me. Do you think you could let us out-" the ivory cockatoo was cut off by a furious screech. The leader was in a crouching position, snarling fiercely at Nigel. "... What?"

"You will _not_ leave! An eagle who was passing by told us to expect you and the danger you will bring to us! He wants us to keep you captive here until he can return and deal with you personally. I don't know what _else _you're doing besides working for poachers, but I sure as heck am not going to take any chances of releasing you!" Horus snarled, fluffing out the fur on his back. "If we let you go, we'd risk our lives as well as others. We don't need an endangerment to Ipanema, do we?"

"The only endangerment here is you," Azure muttered from beside Nigel. The white cockatoo was not very far, making it easier to kick the sarcastic parakeet in the side. "Ow!" yelped the powder blue bird, glaring daggers at the bigger male. Nigel returned the look before turning his head back to Horus. The bat was snarling, curling his lips back and narrowing his red, gleaming eyes in anger. Azure and Fuschia exchanged brief gazes of worry, before the older parakeet asked the main question: "You're not going to hurt us, are you?"

"Maybe, if you cause us trouble." The vampire bat responded grimly. Without hesitation, he strutted forward and plucked out one of Nigel's crest feathers. The male cockatoo bit back a hiss of pain and winced away from the bat's furry hand. Using the yellow feather, Horus twirled it in his hand, and then snapped it in two.

"That," he smirked, "is an example of what we can do to you." Nigel snarled, mentally picturing himself pinning the bat to the slick cavern floor.

Nigel then opened his beak to speak. "You know, he's just using you. That eagle is only telling you lies. True, I was one awful birdie, but that doesn't mean I still am. How do you know-wait a minute." Something had dawned on Nigel, and his eyes lit up with hope. Maybe it wouldn't be long until he found the others-and Aadi-after all. Why didn't he think of this sooner? "You said that the eagle came here, up that mountain. Am I right?"

"Yes..."

His heart literally skipped a beat with excitement. Nigel managed to keep his voice calm, and ignored the pressure of other bats on his back. "So maybe he still is here. Was he saying something about living here?"

"No. He said he was passing through." those words were a major downer. Horus shrugged it off and growled, eyes glistening with hate. "As soon as he comes, you're no longer a burden to us. Until then, you are to stay here, where I can see you. Don't try anything funny."

_Can't promise anything,_ Nigel thought, a smirk crawling onto his face. "Okay, then. We wait." Then something unanticipated happened. The ivory bird felt himself being lifted from the moist dirt and becoming airborne.

The bats were carrying him deeper into the tunnels.

Nigel glanced over his shoulder desperately, trying to catch a glimpse of Fuschia's golden feathers or Azure's big green eyes, but saw nothing but bats swarming over the place they were once in.

They were trapped underneath layers of bats.

* * *

"Blu! Where are you?" Jewel called, blinking her teal blue eyes while wandering the forest. Night had come; Rafael walked beside her as they searched for her missing azure mate; Eva was babysitting the blue macaw chicks and waited ever so impatiently for Rafael's return, although the charcoal female was aware of the group's search for clues of eagles and Nigel himself. After all, he'd gone searching at least two or three days ago. It had left Jewel slightly concerned for his health, but Rafael reassured her that when desperation strikes, so does strength and determination.

Blu was searching alongside the brightly splashed female until he had let out a yelp and was yanked into earthy bushes. He had probably come across some mischievous marmosets out for revenge on the last time they met. But alas, when Jewel scurried off after him, no one was to be found. Only an eagle's cry was heard, which made the female macaw begin to panic. She knew who that might've been, or it could be coincidence. That was why she fetched Rafael; so that she went looking, she would have back up.

"Where is he?" Jewel whispered, her eyes frowning. Now she had two males missing! Tch. Why was it that males were the most adventurous whereas the females were cautious? If only they had both of those. _Which some do_, she reminded herself, _like Rafael_. But still. Beside her, Rafael shrugged at the question. "That doesn't help much, King of Carnival. We need to find him, and quick. Ever since the eagles came around, the jungle has become a dangerous place."

"You're right, señora. But remember that he's also an adult, and can take care of himself. But then again," he said after a moment, "He's not exactly the fighting type. But you know when he's in trouble when you see him yelling for no apparent reason. Then when we go to help him, WE get attacked. It's a chain reaction, you see." the toucan tried to lighten her spirits with a little joke, but the sky blue bird just removed her gaze to the ground. Rafael then sighed, putting his wings on his temples to rub. "Just calm down. I'm sure we'll find him soon..."

Jewel nodded but it was empty and uncertain. "I guess..." she muttered, stretching her wings and spreading out her tail feathers. Then the teal-eyed macaw looked forward, where a clearing of peridot grass settled, and flew off towards it. The moonlight was dappling on the forest floor as she landed in the middle of the area, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. The air smelled sweet of fruit. When she opened her blue-green eyes again, Jewel glanced over her shoulder, but Rafael was no where to be seen. "Rafael? Now where'd YOU go?" she cursed to herself and searched her surroundings.

It was as if an invisible force was plucking them off one by one. Jewel began to feel anxious. A pair of eyes watched her from the shadows of the bushes, awaiting to pounce their prey. Then, as it appeared that Jewel looked straight into the bushes on her left, one swift shape leaped out and pinned her to the ground by her neck. "Hello, pretty bird." a voice said mockingly, "Care to come with me?" Jewel strained her wild eyes to see her attacker, but the dark blinded out her ability of sight.

She snarled at the question. The best that she could come up with was a weak, sassy answer. "Yeah, I do care, actually," She hissed, thrashing around underneath the male's powerful talons. The phrase 'pretty bird' made her livid. "And I definitely have heard that motto enough to know trouble!" the grip on her neck tightened, and the fierce female gasped for air.

"Pity," the figure growled, "I wouldn't want you to not enjoy your ride with me. But I guess it doesn't matter." Jewel began to see tunnel vision. Then last thing she remembered was being airborne with this stranger before blacking out completely.

When Jewel woke up, she found herself to be in a cage. Again. Irritated, the turquoise bird sat up from her back position. "Where...?" a flash of blue caught her eye. Another azure bird was in a cage not far from hers, and she cried out in delight when she found it to be her mate. "Blu!" she shouted gleefully, catching his attention. Blu turned his head to her direction, his brown eyes glimmering in relief as he saw her finally awake and safe. "Blu, where are we? What happened?"

"Take a look around you." He replied uneasily, sweeping his wing to gesture the entire room. There were bird cages stacked on crates and each other. In all of them held beautiful Brazilian birds and chicks, colors ranging from blue and purple to yellow and green. Jewel gaped as she recognized the smuggler's den. Blu and she then eyed a particular cage that was right beside hers, containing a familiar red-headed chick with a white feathered body.

She was left alone, which was questionable, but there were horrid wounds and claw marks of talons all over her face, and dried blood clumping on her head feathers. "It's Aadi," Blu said softly, putting a wing up against his cage.

The bundle was asleep in the corner closest to Jewel. The female macaw bit the bottom of her beak at the sight of the elicited baby, and knew that Nigel would literally kill whoever brought harm to her in the first place. To be completely honest, Jewel felt sick to her stomach as she pictured fierce, long talons digging into an innocent chick's face, the attacker shouting loudly as the chick cried. Aadi was simply too young to be put through that kind of tormenting pain.

"Poor thing..." She whispered to Blu, who nodded sympathetically. Jewel turned away and leaned against the cage wall. "It's not fair... Why would anyone do such a thing?" Blu looked to his mate, a dark look growing in his eyes. She caught the look and stared at him, puzzled. "You know?"

"Yeah. I think they knew she was under their care. And take that into consideration-if you were trying to get information about your enemy, how would you do it?" While Blu said all of that, Jewel swallowed uncomfortably. "Exactly. If there was a young chick that would appear like someone's daughter, they might know a whole lot about what their father is strong and weak with. It's terrible, but it's happened. Take, for example, the holocaust." Jewel stared at him quizzically, before he realized that she wouldn't know anything about human history. "Never mind."

Jewel shrugged it off and wrapped her wings around her legs, bringing them close. "It makes me hope that the kids are okay. But then, Eva is pretty tough. She'll handle them well." reassuring both herself and Blu, she rested her head on her knees.

Then a loud bang was heard.

An eagle with emerald green designs written neatly over his wings flew in at an amazing speed, carrying a livid bundle of white and golden feathers. The eagle was holding the cursing bird by a foot so that he couldn't flip over and defend himself. Then another male eagle followed, carrying two birds-yellow and blue-in the same manner, and dropped them into an empty cage across the room.

Jewel had a pretty good hunch on who the white bird could be, but it was fairly hard to tell since the speed of flight was so quick. As the eagle dropped altitude and threw the bird into the cage that was next to Jewel's, who landed, winded, on his back, she was able to distinguish his features.

"Nigel!"

The cockatoo groaned. "Who else...?" he muttered in his usually sarcastic voice. Sitting himself up painfully, the slightly overweight bird squinted at his disoriented surrounds. Aadi was curled up in the corner of the same cage, awakened by the previous events and staring at him with large eyes. They contained no expression. When Nigel caught sight of her, something close to tension was released between them. "Aadi." it was no more than a whisper. "Aadi, I'm so sor-"

"I know." she interrupted, her eyes softening into a slight frown. "I heard you. I was awake. I remember." the chick was making up her mind about something. Jewel and Blu watched as the scene unfolded before their eyes, smiles forming on their blue faces. Aadi continued to speak, a smilet of her own creeping in her beak. "I know," the chick repeated, eyes blinking for the first time since he entered. "I know." Nigel nodded silently, his eyes unreadable. The words were more than what they would appear to mean for Blu and Jewel.

Nigel slowly made his way to the corner of the cage furthest of Aadi, leaned up against it and closed his eyes.

That was the end of the Burden.


	13. Chapter 13: Doomed By Dawn

Chapter Thirteen: Doomed By Dawn. 

Sunlight hit his eyes as Nigel opened them. For one strange moment, he thought that he was in his hollow, but then the memories came plummeting back. The cockatoo was in the smuggler's den, this time as a prisoner. He'd deserved it, too. But Aadi didn't. Nigel gazed in her direction with soft eyes. 'I know,' she'd told him. But the truth was, she didn't know. She didn't know how much he'd risk just getting her to safety. Love was a powerful, wonderful thing, indeed...

Then the bird mentally slapped himself. He was getting too soft! _Shape up_, he growled at himself. _Forget such useless feelings like love. It hurt Blu and Jewel. It abandoned Fernando to the world. _Everyone Nigel loved somehow was always put to risk because of him. However much he reasoned against it, Nigel sighed and slumped against the cage wall. Love was not useless. Love was not stupid. Love was not taken for granted. It was given. That small chick had changed everything.

But why? She was colourful, she was _Rio_. Brazilian. Precious. Of all chicks to change his heart, why was it this one? Aadi was so fierce, but so young... Nigel closed his eyes. If he learned anything about the chick, it was that when she was irrational, she spoke with perfect literature. When Aadi _was_rational, she spoke like a toddler. Because she had such a tough childhood, she was almost always unhappy, thus causing literature. Nigel winced and sat up quickly, ignoring the sudden dizziness that gnawed at him, and peered over at Aadi.

The scarlet red headed chick had fallen asleep in the corner to his right. It wasn't far, which was what made him smile. Perhaps love's not quite stupid... Warmth filled his gaze. Nigel then shook himself and frowned, retrieving his maple brown eyes. "Aadi. What have you done to me...?" Another voice answered the question. It was familiar but rusty, weak.

"She has taught you to love and feel loved. It's like samba, Nigel. The rhythm of your heart makes you act this way." Rafael was two cages to his right. Nigel stood up to peer at the toucan, eyes lighting up with relief. The glossy feathered toucan stretched in his own cage, returning the gaze before implying something. "You do love her. But you are hesitant. Why?" Nigel's look went from relief to sadness instantly. Rafael frowned at this but awaited his answer.

"It is because..." Nigel cleared his throat. "Because everyone I've ever loved has gotten harmed. I don't want her to get hurt. My father is ill, Aadi was smuggled, Blu and Jewel were too... the little one... She has horrible elicits on her face." pain seared his heart as it did so commonly. When the cockatoo gazed over his shoulder at the chick again, he held back a shuddery breath. "I don't know what to do, Rafael. I love her so much. Yet I know I can't." Nigel murmured.

"Follow your heart. It beats with wisdom that none of us have learned to really harness. I can only guess that it knows the right thing." Rafael replied. His big brown eyes glimmered with knowledge. "You know, those things you told me... They're a part of life. You get hurt, you grow up and out of it. You die, someone grows in your place. It's nature. You can't have health without harm, life without death. So follow what your heart tells you, Nigel. It can lead you to a place unexpected."

He was cut off by a whimper from one of the corners of the cage. Both birds looked to the noise, which led them to a twitching red headed chick that was struggling not to cry out as nightmares possessed her mind. Cold sweat trickled from her blush-red forehead, and her eyes were shut tight. The chick quivered and tossed and turned, as if trying to get away from whatever was trying to hurt her. Nigel cringed; he knew very well what she was remembering. With a hesitant glance back at Rafael, who nodded encouragingly, Nigel took small steps towards a trapped-in-nightmare-form Aadi.

_Follow your heart, follow the rhythm... _Nigel repeated. His 'ninja' talons eventually approached the whimpering bundle. His vital white feathers trembled slightly with anticipation, but he reached forward with two wings. Soft feathers brushed Aadi's cheek as he picked her up, one wing supporting her back while the other served as a blanket. Then Nigel rocked her back and forth in a rhythmic motion, slowly and carefully, not to wake her. "There is nothing to worry about," he hushed, caressing her chubby cheeks with his feathers. Aadi flinched at the new voice and dug her head into his chest, hiding from herself. "False illusions. That's all they are. I am here, but as someone different. I'm not hideous. I'm not insidious. I'm not vicious. I'm simply... Rational."

I'm simply rational_. The words clung to her head and rang around. She felt soft and fuzzy for some reason. Now she dreamed of not only Nigel, but Silviene and Sagar and Abina. Terrible pain scorched her face as talons gripped it, tossing her into the side of the cage. Aadi flinched as her body became immobile. A shrill cry of pain escaped her throat. _Help..._She thought. Her chest heaved as the chick struggled to catch her breath._

_The attack was frequent. Because the chick was unable to move, danger kept striking her, and all Aadi heard was a faint chuckle and... A familiar song._

"**I'm unwashable, unrinsable!**  
**Like an abandoned school,**  
**I have no principal!"**

_"Please, Nigel! Please stop!" the injured chick begged, feeling warm blood trickle from wounds on her gut, face and shoulders. She felt weak and saw tunnel vision, which Aadi shook off and struggled to stand up until another sharp pain of a talon jabbed her side. Tears were riveting down her face in big blobs as the cockatoo chick tried to scramble away from her attacker. "Nigel... Please..." her words were no more than ragged breaths. For a moment, Aadi saw herself, bleeding. Whilst in this outside, non-suffering form, she could breathe easily. Then it all changed back, and she once again felt unimaginable pain burn everywhere._

_Then the abusive advances stopped. Looking out of the cage, she saw Nigel staring back with slightly widened eyes. They contained horror and shock and confusion, as if the large cockatoo couldn't believe what he had just done to a young infant. Aadi whimpered in fear, curling into a little ball. Then she heard a comforting voice break through. "False illusions. That's all they are." The scarlet headed chick recognized the voice to be Nigel's. At once, the pain faded, and the throbbing of her wounds lessened, and when she tried to look at her self, she only saw a clean, feathery body._

_Something rubbed her cheek. Aadi touched it but nothing was there. "Nigel?" she whispered in disbelief. Warmth somehow managed to sweep into his heart. "N-Nigel." the name felt a bit rough on her tongue, but the chick smiled_.

"How _sweet_!" a mocking voice crowed, and Nigel looked up to see an eagle barging into the room. The male cockatoo narrowed his eyes and pressed Aadi's sleeping form protectively against his shoulder, curling his white, vibrant feathers around her to keep her safe. "But weren't you the one to say... Love is a powerful, stupid thing?" Silviene continued, landing on top of Nigel's cage and sneering wildly. His big green eyes gleamed with malice. The white tailed eagle pulled his beak back into a snarl as he stared down at Aadi in particular. "This one was being a little... Stubborn, I should say. Even efficient wounds won't get words out of her."

"_You _did this to her?" Nigel was livid. His sugary brown eyes shone with anger and hate as his smooth, creamy crest spiked up. His white, silver-lined feathers fluffed out and he held Aadi tighter, wanting to rip Silviene's guts out. "Are you trying to be stupid, or does it come naturally? You know I won't let you get away with that unscarred."

Silviene shrugged carelessly, which fuelled Nigel's fury. "Be that as it may, Nigel, I am out here and you are in there. You can't possibly escape and start clawing my eyes out." Nigel glared on. "Well, it's not my fault. She could've listened and spared her safety. Stupidity is always in chicks, you know."

"Are you sure it's _stupidity_..." Nigel started, "... or _fear_? To bring fear means to bring light-headedness, which would cause one to not think clearly. I don't know how to put this, but you by far are the stupidest rodent I've ever come across. Your filthy hatred for every one of us is _blinding _you. I-" a voice muted by walls cut him off. Nigel listened with ruffled feathers as he recognized Marcel's voice arguing over a phone call. It was actually the first time that Nigel realized that this was the Smuggler's Den. This meant that when Horus told him that the eagles were passing through... That Silviene and his brother had created a diversion while Abina escaped with Aadi and a couple other small birds.

"Yes, yes..." An impatient growl came from Marcel. The man, by the sounds of it, was pacing back and forth in the office-like area. Nigel pictured him squeezing the phone in his hand as he snarled at the communicator, with Abina and Sagar perched on his other arm. "Yes, I'll have the birds shipped off for the United States by tomorrow. _Yes_, the plane won't have any 'accidents' this time! The cages are secure... Okay? ... I've got it. Bye."

For a moment, the breath felt like it was knocked right from Nigel's lungs. He struggled to breathe in calmly, slowly inhaling and exhaling rather quickly. When the big, white cockatoo felt the chick buried into his shoulder stir, he flattened the crest that was automatically rising with alarm and disbelief. Then Nigel looked up at Silviene, whose eyes were shining with sick amusement while his brownish body of feathers rippled with malice. Both gazes clashed with a mixture between honey-brown and peridot-green, but in the end, Nigel grinned as Silviene looked away.

But when the white tailed eagle looked back down, through the metal bars of the cage and into Nigel's brilliant brown eyes, his green eyes glimmered with nothing close to fear. In fact, his gaze was of a sarcastic smile. "Well... At least now, you'll get a taste of your own medicine. Shipped off, with the _'one you hold dearest'_..." something inside of Nigel snapped in two. Placing Aadi gently down while Silviene glared upon his ivory feathers suspiciously, Nigel leaped up to the top of the cage and bit down on the mischievous eagle's foot so hard he drew blood. The non-hue bird let out a painful screech and jumped up, becoming airborne.

"Cause..." Nigel stated with a tiny smile, spitting out the iron taste and brushing his wings together, "... And effect." he heard a hint of laughter come from Rafael, and grinned to himself. "That is what you get for messing with an overrated Brazilian star." Nigel continued with a strange laugh. "But of course, why would a pretty bird like you listen? Oh," he broke off as he saw Aadi turning on the floor. Two eyes opened to reveal content and calmness. "Good morning, pretty bird." the large cockatoo teased, bending down to face her. He ignored the furious eagle above him, who flew away as those very words came out.

Aadi stared up at him. It was the first time that she wasn't afraid. And the first time she didn't mind him. Nigel's luscious, shimmering coat of white feathers trembled as he stared back; neither of them knew what to do. The cockatoos just stared blankly, until Nigel's beak broke with a simple smile. Aadi's did the same, and the chick scrambled to her feet. It made her realize that Nigel was far bigger and that she only reached a very small portion of his stomach. "'Morning." she replied in that squeaky voice. Her deep golden eyes glistened with sun-dropped dew as the chick stared up.

Nigel inhaled deeply and stretched his wings. The morning sun was just over the horizon, from the looks of it; the sunlight was leaking through the wood blocks that covered the door and windows. "Well, pretty bird," announced Nigel, "it appears we have some catching up to do." he shook his feathers and leaned against the cage wall. "So- tell me, what happened? Why exactly did that filth for a bird hurt you?" Aadi lowered her gaze. After noticing the motivation, Nigel stood up straight again and lifted her chin with a feather. "Aadi?"

The chick sniffled. Her eyes trailed miserably to one side, as if she couldn't bear to meet his brown eyes. "Nigel... They hurt me 'cause they thought that I knew..." the sentence didn't need to be finished. Nigel somehow felt what it was that they thought she knew. His face crumpled into a softened look; this was his entire fault. If he hadn't let them take her in the first place, this wouldn't have ever happened. Still holding her chin up with soft feather, Nigel reached with another wing to smoothen the frizzled feathers on her head. Aadi flinched at the touch, but made no move to get away.

It was gentle, gentle treatment. As she felt the tingling sensation of Nigel's feathers running through her head ones like a brush, the chick closed her eyes and leaned forward, swaying slightly from side to side. _Mama used to do this all the time_, thought the cockatoo chick, muzzling into the warm white feathers. Then something inside of her changed. Aadi realized that Nigel had long since stopped and was gently holding her up with a palm-formed wing. Embarrassed by such obligation, the chick stood bolt right, slightly startling the big cockatoo.

Then they stood, once again, in a Mexican stare-down. With Aadi's gaze; uncertainty. Nigel's was of full blossomed affection and amusement, so it wasn't as tense as before. Then the cockatoo male broke it for the second time by nodding in understanding. "You're unsettled," he stated, his eyes blinking gently and pulling his feather away. Then he brushed both his wings together, shrugging off the guilt of that trademark song of his. It caused the fear. It caused the confusion.

It caused the love.

Despite what he just said, Aadi shyly shuffled towards Nigel. Her eyes shimmered colourfully as her feathers prickled, and the chick leaned forward again, but this time she gently pressured her head into his soft stomach, nuzzling. She was shaking, her eyes half closed. Nigel was startled, perhaps frigid, before slowly wrapping a wing around her, the bags under his eyes slightly raised. He didn't know what he was to become to her.

Or what would become of him.

* * *

**~Night Again~**

Aadi flinched as her incredibly golden eyes flew open. She'd had another nightmare, and it was one of the same compared to the others. She let out a whine when she discovered that the cold, silver metal bars were stealing the warmth that radiated from her body, and the poor cockatoo chick shivered helplessly. Her allies were huddled against each other in a different cage because the eagle who called himself Silviene had decided to give her an empty night to get some words out of her.

Luckily, Nigel had been caught that very day and was tossed into the same cage.

Struggling to hold back a whimper of the frightening nightmare, Aadi stumbled dizzily around and, after managing to get a few feet away from her previous spot, fell into something soft. Feathers tickled her face as the cockatoo pushed herself away. She had fallen into the side of Nigel's belly, who was in deep sleep.

"Oh, no." Aadi whispered, holding her breath. However, the male cockatoo stirred only and did not awaken, as she anticipated. Deflating her chest, the chick sighed in relief.

How she wished that Freyja were here to chase those stupid dreams away. The young creature was used to such gentle treatment, and it made her cry to think about her mother's twisted body and bloody wounds. It felt like Aadi had lost everything. But... Even the young chick knew she didn't. Aadi gazed back at Nigel.

He was the one who killed her mother, wasn't he? _No,_ answered a voice in the midst of her mind. _Marcel did. Nigel had no control over the plane. _Aadi built her wings into fists and held back a sniffle of frustration. She didn't even know if she could trust herself anymore!

Her big, golden eyes remained on Nigel. His 'slightly' overweight belly rose and fell with each passing breath he took. It looked feathery and soft, like Freyja.

But bigger.

The chick bit down on her tongue; she tried shaking the thought away, but it lingered, as if holding to dear life. Yet she was cold and tired and a little frightened of her dream. Judging that she literally had no other choice, Aadi looked at the curve of his wings on his chest. Taking a few steps towards him, she poked his side. "Um... Nigel..." one of his mahogany eyes opened slowly and rolled in her direction.

"It's the middle of the night. What?" He yawned, sitting up. His smooth yellow crest quivered slightly as he loomed over her. Fear prickled down her spine as Aadi forced herself to look up at him. Then, the memory of her dream came plummeting back and she stood, frigid, unable to speak. Her beautiful eyes were wide with fear. Nigel stared back, uncertain of what to do, because staring into those marigold eyes of hers made him almost mesmerized by the fear. Aadi was frozen, looking up so much that it pained her craned neck. "Aadi?" Nigel coughed, waving a snowy wing in front of her face.

She felt the breeze but couldn't act.

Then, as it appeared that Aadi was unresponsive, she cried, "_IT'S MY ENTIRE FAULT! IT'S MY ENTIRE FAULT…_" and threw herself into his soft belly. His crest flew up with ruffled, unbelievable, complete shock. Nigel just stared, watching the chick fondle his belly, before blinking the thoughts away.

He then wrapped his wings around the frightened chick and picked her up. He'd intended to ask _what _her fault was if not for the whimpering. Then he leaned back into the cage wall, a chick curled in his wings, the simple marigold crest of his flattening as warmth seeped into his heart.

It was a cold night, a one that could easily cause nightmares, and it was that moment that Nigel realized that that was the problem. "Hush, shhhhh..." he soothed, rubbing her cold-sweating rosy head with a soft wing. Aadi's blubbering ceased as the young chick snuggled into it. A soft whimper escaped her throat; the cockatoo had no choice but to hold her against his chest. "It's all right. Everything will be all right. I won't let _anyone _hurt you. Not anymore. Nothing is going to happen to any of us..."

... However much he wished it so, Nigel knew it wasn't true.


	14. Chapter 14: This Is It

Chapter Fourteen: This Is It. 

**(A/N: I added some new pictures on deviantart. :) They're just some scenes, that's all.****)**

It was at the bright dawn that the sulphur-crested cockatoo awakened once again, but this time, the brilliant beams of the sun didn't rouse him. In fact, he woke with the sound of whisperings and murmurs, some sounds of adoration ringing in his ears. There were sounds coming from birds of all sorts-macaws, sun conures, parakeets, lorikeets, parrots-but the most distinguished ones of affection were coming from a bright feminine voice and an easy-going male.

"I can't say I expected that... But that's the most beatific thing I've ever seen." Nigel knew, without opening his eyes, that the voice belonged to Jewel. He continued to listen, unaware that they were actually talking about Aadi. "After all, I guess that she would've had nightmares last night. We are getting shipped off today... It's good of Nigel to share his love and comfort." at the sound of his name, Nigel's hearing perked up.

Then it hit him like a wave of panic and he nearly bolted up, if not for the tiny little chick snuggled on his stomach; she must've slipped from the higher resting place overnight. Slowly sitting up instead, Nigel put a wing on his tummy, covering Aadi in a flurry of white feathers. "Mm." the snowy white cockatoo just barely murmured. Today was one frightening day; they were actually going to be successfully shipped off.

"Ah. Pretty birdie, you're snoozing peacefully. Good." commented Nigel, oblivious to the pairs of eyes resting on him. He gently grabbed her by the scruff using his beak, and as he stood up, the bird dropped her into his grip and held the sleeping body with one milky wing while the other aided him in stretching luxuriously. His sulphur crest trembled as he yawned, blinking a sun's ray from his exhausted eyes. Then, as he finished, he rested his sugary brown eyes upon the little chick in his wings and let out a tiny chuckle. Such Rio beauty.

"Oh, I know I'm not a pretty birdie. But I'm sure that you are. You have such lovely colors; your head resembles the red in a rose, and the bright white of the rest of your body is like the crystalline in a cloud. Then, there are your eyes... They represent a drop of liquid sun that must've fallen from the sky." the cockatoo whispered gently, slowly swaying his wings from left to right. Aadi shifted in his thick feathers and sighed tiredly. "Such a chick full of wonders is a miracle to the world."

Then it was with great affection that Nigel looked up through the cage to his right, glancing at Jewel. The sky blue macaw had her wings crossed as she watched him with a gentle smile curved on her beak. "Well... The eagle has a point." she spoke, a glimmer of amusement passing behind her eyes as Nigel responded with a puzzled stare. "I'm talking about... Well, you know when you said to Blu and I that love-"

"-is a stupid thing? Yes, I remember." Nigel interfered, his brown eyes narrowing with displeasure as she mentioned one of the things that he'd been wronged. "I also know that I'm amiss. But I guess..." he gazed back at the sleeping angelic chick in his arms (though he knew that when she slept, and only when she slept, that Aadi would look that way,) "... That when staring into the face of a motherless chick... I felt like something was leading me astray. It was the smuggling."

Those words made Jewel's smile deepen with intensity. "I'm glad to hear it," she said softly. Her teal eyes glimmered in the leaking sunlight. "While we were letting you care for her temporarily, Rafael and I were confident that you'd tell us about Aadi overtime. Because you know, she doesn't exactly look like a hatchling. Those eggshell bits have to be something else. Can... Are you willing... To tell me?" slowly, Nigel considered this. Then he nodded.

"Well, pretty bird... She liked to wear an eggshell hat... Plane crash... Freyja..." he explained everything from start to finish, holding Aadi tighter in his wings when he described how Freyja and Aadi were at the very back, hidden by boxes. But his grip slightly awakened her, and the scarlet headed chick groaned as she opened her miraculous eyes. Nigel had noticed and felt his face grow warm; Aadi would probably freak out and attempt an attack. However, the chick lay there staring back up, before yawning and pushing her little head into his chest. But that was before the fear flooded her gaze.

The cockatoo chick instantly sat up, searching her surroundings wildly, her feathers sticking out like crazy. Her breathing became fast and constant, sweating riveting down her forehead. "Wha-what's going on? Are we on the plane? Where are we?" then soft laughter sounded from the bigger bird of which Aadi previously slept on. She whipped her head to glare at Nigel. "_What_?"

"Calm down, little one. We're not going anywhere right now. We will soon, but not now." At these words, the chick relaxed, but her mind remained tense. She lay against his chest again, the tiny body trembling ever so slightly. Nigel softened. "It's all right, my dear. I won't let anyone try to hurt you. We'll be just fine. And let me tell you this: if we end up somewhere far away, I promise that I'll fly home again with you on my back. And if we're lucky, it might just be winter still. The snowflakes will be flying about." the statement was true; it was nearing the end of February.

"What's 'winter'?" Aadi asked squeakily, her eyes rounding with curiosity. Nigel mentally kicked himself and realized that because Rio had a weather drop very rarely, the birds wouldn't exactly know what 'cold' is or, perhaps, even snow. The chick was still staring up at him, puzzled, and opened her beak to talk, but changed her mind. Instead, the red and white feathered chick shrugged and shivered. "I don't wanna leave..." she whimpered.

Nigel tried to smile, but it was weak and unsupported. He ran one of his feathers down her head instead, bringing her up closer to his face. He felt her bury her head into his fluffy neck, and then the cockatoo male let her head be supported by his shoulder and her body cradled in his wings. Nigel then held her tight, whispering determinedly, "You know that once my mind is set, it's unwashable and unrinsable. I promise that I won't let you get hurt, wherever we are."

The chick whimpered again, but quietly, and the bigger bird barely heard an audible 'okay.' He hushed her and held her head on his shoulder, rubbing her back calmly with the other wing. "Hush, pretty birdie, don't say anything. Your concern right now is safety; you'll have that if you just rest." Nigel thought for a moment before placing his chin lightly on her head. It had his white, pure neck outstretched. "Aadi... Don't worry. I'm sure we'll get out of this... At least, alive."

The door opened with a disastrous crash, and immediately, all whispers went silent, dead with fear. The heads of hundreds of birds turned towards the noise, which had Tipa and Armando coming in, with three eagles following. Silviene sneered at Nigel and yanked on Tipa's arm, resulting in the man yelling and falling backwards into Armando. The dark skinned man just barely caught himself before falling to the ground.

Then the two poachers stood, glaring at Silviene, and continued making their way across the room. Tipa grabbed a cage that contained chicks, and then paused to stare at it in confusion. "Heeey, where's the other one?" inquired the obese man, putting the cage under one arm and looking around. Nigel placed Aadi on the cage floor cautiously, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. So now the big cockatoo stood beside the chick, protectively wrapping a wing around her as if to say, 'mine.'

Sure enough, Tipa's gaze reached their cage and he snapped his fingers in satisfaction. "There she is! I wonder what she's doing in..." he caught sight of Nigel. "... There. Since when did we...?" Tipa shook off the question and walked off towards the cage, a hand outstretched as he prepared to reach in and grab Aadi. Nigel tensed his muscles and pulled his beak back into a snarl. _Oh no, I'm not letting her go for a second time!_ Nigel thought, watching Tipa's hand come closer and Aadi back away.

Then, as the hand reached the lock of their cage and pulled a key from Tipa's neck, Nigel let out a ferocious screech that was blood-curdling, and widened his eyes with a snarl. "No!" the bird spat, knowing it would be just a foreign sound for the Brazilian man. The hand stopped in an awkward position, and Tipa stared at Nigel. This caused the big bird the shuffle closer to Aadi and tighten his wingspan's grip. The ivory cockatoo male continued to glare and shield his prized possession.

At first, the two brown pairs of eyes met. Nigel fiercely snarled and felt his crest rise aggressively. The luscious feathers of his were beginning to look jagged as the cockatoo inflated his chest. The chick beside him trembled with anticipation, but the male ignored it, and growled at Tipa instead. As he watched carefully, the hard, determined look on the tanned man's face softened into a frown. Unbelievably, the human gave Nigel the tiniest of nods and stood up straight, walking out the door while maintaining the cage in his grip.

Then, as Nigel relaxed, he felt Aadi's tiny body lean against his side, and he lent one wing to rub her cheek. Aadi responded with a chick cry that sounded from the back of her throat, and it made Nigel smile deeply. "It's all right. I won't let them take you from me. After all," he added with a teasing smile, "I'm invincible." Aadi playfully nuzzled him and rubbed her forehead deeply into his stomach. Then the red headed cockatoo jumped lightly as Tipa came back in.

One by one, the cages were collected and walked out the door. Blu let out a yelp as he was taken away; Jewel and Rafael shouted out to him, but the azure macaw was helpless. Then the remaining birds shook and looked at each other. "Well," Nigel murmured. "I guess... That this is it. Rafael, you'll be leaving eighteen kids at home, and Jewel, yours will grow up without ever knowing where their parents are... I'm so sorry, you two. This is my fault."

Rafael glanced over at Nigel sadly. "No, it isn't. It's Silviene's. And the others'." the cockatoo simply shook his head. Rafael continued to stare with glazed over eyes, his glossy black and white feathers shimmering in the dull light. Then a gentle object rubbed her head into Nigel's side. The ivory white bird stared down with a dumbfounded expression as the chick he accompanied was, in her own way, reassuring him. The soft baby feathers on her head brushed his stomach ones and the fearful chick dug herself under the protection of his wings as Armando and Tipa came back, prepared to grab the last of them.

Heart pounding, Nigel glanced at the others. An idea had just popped into his head, but it was absolutely _insane_, and the cockatoo was uncertain to whether it would work or not. But he had to try it. For his friends' sakes, he _had _to. Determination replaced his fear, and the bird silently plotted it all out. Tipa grabbed his cage and carried it, but Nigel hardly noticed. When the cage that held them was shoved into a car with other crates and cages, and then what joined them was Jewel and Rafael, Nigel nearly polished the plan out and basically resolved to not telling anyone but the trembling chick beside him.

For what seemed like an eternity, but was more like half an hour, the car came to a stop. Nigel strained to look out the window and inhaled sharply. This was it. No more delays. The car doors opened, revealing a new plane, bigger than the last. It was of bronze metal gleaming in the sun.

Nigel felt his cage move as one of the last, and the poachers walked up the entrance of the plane and stacked his cage on another's. It all seemed like a blur. But when the snowy white, sulphur-crested cockatoo caught sight of the scared-to-death chick that was huddled to him for protection, Nigel nodded to himself. Time to start the plan. He felt doubt, though. It'd been a while since he'd acted... Then he shook it off fiercely. "Aadi," he breathed. The chick stared up at him with mesmerized golden eyes. "Want to be able to know when someone's lying?"

**(A/N: I've never done this before, but I want to know what's going through your heads! So, predict in your review what you think Nigel's plan is and what will happen next! (Well, if you want to, that is. I still wanna know, though!))**


	15. Chapter 15: Acting

Chapter Fifteen: Acting 

**A/N: Wow! All of those who'd predicted got it half right, or all right! You guys are good! Internet cookies for all! ;)**

Eyes narrowed. Crest risen. Beak curled. Malicious glare. Twisted sneer.

Nigel was ready.

Allowing his chest to puff out, the chalky cockatoo stood up straight and smiled evilly. His posture was perfect; as was it before. Now, to wait. The colourful chick beside him had taken a nervous step away, which Nigel took as a good sign; he needed to look frightening. It was a _very_ good thing, because the one he loved most would be keeping a distance. Even Silviene would fall for _that_. But it struck Nigel as silly when he remembered that 'he had no principal.' Then the cream-yellow crested bird shook it off, maintaining his vicious smile, glazing his look across all the cages. Others looked at him suspiciously, some looked unsurprised, and some didn't even care.

The plane engine started with a startling boom, and the pure white bird felt the strangest sensation: he was thrust, along with his cage, into the plane wall, and if he struggled to stand up, gravity held him back. He had a feeling that the plane was racing across the track, aiming towards it's destination: the light morning sky. Then, at the cage beside him, he saw Blu gasping in shock. Nigel squinted at the azure macaw, and with a pang of sympathy he caught sight of the gleaming metal spoke of the cage plunging itself lightly into the other bird's back. Then he forced the pity back. _Evil_, he reminded himself, _evil. No emotions. Merciless_.

Nigel bit the bottom part of his beak bitterly. Was it really stupid to care for his friend? Honestly, it felt wrong to even _act_ like this. _But_, he thought_, it _was_ a part of the plan. I have to act according to it. Don't worry, Silviene will appear soon..._He tried to reassure himself but failed. It was quite a miracle that Nigel even managed to hold still the insidious look on his face, however. He closed his eyes and shifted away from Aadi to one of the corners of the cage.

"Nigel?" how he adored that young voice. Aadi, however, was not so fond of her own fear and she struggled not to cry out. Well, since Silviene wasn't exactly there... Nigel flattened his marigold crest and softened the look on his face. He kept the posture straight however, and he held out his wings welcomingly for Aadi to take in. The chick hesitated. Nigel could see through those beautiful golden eyes of hers that something very serious was on her mind. Then, as he was about to speak, the little chick looked down, then back up at his with wide, mesmerized eyes filled of fear. "Nigel, how do I know that I can trust you to care for me?"

The ashen white bird was clearly taken aback. His bronze eyes rounded with surprise and shock. "I..." he started, but was unable to think of what to say. He really did love that chick, but he should have thought of this situation! "Aadi, I..." the words were too strained to come clearly. Instead, the cockatoo lowered his gaze gently to the floor. He could tell that Aadi looked thoroughly disappointed and hurt, at not receiving the answer. Then, somehow miraculously, Nigel found the words he'd been searching for. His sugary brown gaze strengthened. "Aadi, you can tru-"

"Morning, idiots!" a voice hissed. Nigel, with his back facing it, recognized the sound and shot his crest up immediately. His gaze darkened into a smile and a snarl curled on his malicious face. This, of course, was no influence on Aadi, who scowled and turned away. She hated Silviene, but at that moment she hated Nigel even more. She did not know why; it was only a couple of hours ago when he held her comfortingly, soothing her fears. But now... Seeing his insidious face... Made her want to claw his eyes out. Silently seething instead, she awaited the action to start.

Sure enough, it did. Nigel turned himself around, his smile never ceasing. "Morning, retard." he replied smoothly, grinning as his yolk-yellow crest bristled. "Come to taunt us, have we?" Silviene narrowed his eyes as he landed lightly on the side on Nigel's cage and clung to the iron bars. The cockatoo continued to maliciously stare, and the gazes battled somewhat. Nigel saw the eagle's dark feathers bristle and those strange peridot eyes of his blinked and looked away.

"What's with the face?" was all the white tailed eagle could choke out. It was good that the ivory cockatoo had him uneasy, but not _too _uneasy. If the non-fluorescent eagle was thoroughly perplexed, he would most likely back off. That wasn't what he'd needed. A comeback ready, Nigel silently heaved a deep breath, hoping that this would work.

"I have come to my conclusions, pretty bird. I wish to make a proposal."

Silviene sneered. "Sorry. You're not exactly my type." those words made Nigel snarl. The frosty white feathers that formed his tail were spread out viciously at this sassy eagle's comment, and his mahogany brown eyes narrowed into slits. He felt his own crest spiking out in anger.

"Yes, well, you're not my first choice either. But I think you will be interested in what I have to say." Nigel retorted with a insidious grin. He glanced over his pale feathery shoulder at Aadi, who was crumpled up in the corner of the cage, her wings acting as a blanket. If looks could kill, Nigel was absolutely positive that he would start choking. The young chick's gaze contained hate and betrayal, as if she'd just witnessed the murder of someone she loved.

And she was, in a way. Nigel had just killed himself; inwardly, of course. He'd killed down the inner calm, cool and collective part of himself that Aadi was dearly fond of. Every time he acted it killed him. She remembered some nights back in the smuggler den that his sanity slowly returned, sometimes more than others. Occasionally, Nigel the ashen, sulphur-crested cockatoo had sung the chick to sleep. The voice wasn't as hideous as other times they were. It was actually quite... Beautiful. She remembered feeling so sleepy, and falling asleep to that sound. But that was before he sang that horrid, stupid, insidious, vicious song. How she hated it!

And then there were times of affection towards her he tried to show after that, but... It was like that song was the very last of his sanity. She felt his aura change completely, and the atmosphere he left was terrible. That was why she felt fear. Because that song took everything she knew of him away, and replaced him with a puppet. She also, of course, had nightmares _because _of that song. It had side effects for both birds.

Wait... Why was she even thinking about that? In this sort of situation, she should be snarling. In fact, Nigel was looking right at her. She gave him a glare full of hatred and buried her head in her wings, not wanting to witness anymore of this. Aadi just wanted to curl up and cry, but she could only hide it back. Then she heard a sigh, and Nigel malevolently awaited for Silviene to consider his offer. Sure enough, the eagle nodded spitefully.

"Make it quick, ugly."

Grinding his beak, Nigel stiffly acknowledged his opportunity and opened his mouth. "I understand that you're short of comrades," he started, watching Silviene's expression carefully. It showed no hint of emotion. "And I would like to finish getting my revenge. Those stupid pretty birds weren't done getting what they deserved." there was a feminine gasp of shock, and Nigel grinned for effect. He knew who that bird was.

Blu, who was sitting in the cage beside Nigel's, doubled over as if he received a strong punch in the gut. His mahogany eyes were wide like full moons, and his face was filled with absolute shock. But then, as Nigel knew, some part of the sapphire bird wasn't at all surprised. After all, the blue macaw could see right through Nigel's speech and was playing along.

Then the pale bird scanned the rest of the room. Rafael was smiling secretly, and he winked at Nigel. Grateful that he understood, the snowy cockatoo glanced over at one more bird.

"How could... But I thought..." Jewel's fluffy chest heaved quickly, hurt and betrayal shining in her teal blue eyes. She had no words to say. Instead, she glared with icy blue eyes across the room and into Nigel's brown, furious. "We trusted you!" screamed Jewel, bolting up right and snarling. "I can't believe it! We trusted you, Nigel!" Keeping his act, Nigel did a heavy eye roll.

"That's the _point_, pretty bird." muttered the cockatoo sarcastically, shrugging the debris-blue female's negative emotions off. He brushed his creamy chest with a wing dismissively. "It's not my fault you fell for it." Returning his cool gaze to Silviene, whose charcoal face contained a wry smile, Nigel bobbed his jasmine yellow crest and felt his face twist with malice. "So, what do you say? Want to give me a wing?" Silviene's look told the cockatoo the answer, before he even spoke.

"Certainly."

The brown-black feathers on his wing reached out to the lock on Nigel's cage. The shimmering white bird straightened as he prepared for the cage door to open. The shiny black beak of Silviene's was picking at the lock, and as it clicked open, the white tailed eagle snapped it off. Nigel gently pushed to cage open and stepped out gracefully, his crest puffing up with luxury. "Aah, much better." sneered Nigel, spreading out his pale white wings. Then he flew up high, landing on another cage and scanning the rest with a watchful eye.

Aadi was still glaring at him. Nigel didn't understand; he taught her how to detect lies, so why was it a big deal? Was it an act as well? Perhaps. It would make sense; he was acting, so why wouldn't she? It would have effect. But... Nigel stared back with glassy eyes. This didn't feel like an act at all. What did he do? Maybe it was because he... Never answered her question... Was that it? Well, he couldn't answer now.

Instead, he grinned and lured his snarl at the birds. It was apparent that Silviene, Sagar and Abina joined him, as he heard scuffles from behind. "I know you are there, pretty birds." hissed Nigel, his crest fluffing out. Then he whipped around to face them. Their faces were startled at his sudden motivation and they were scrambling to find their nerves. "What needs to be done?" he asked, agitated by their nervousness. But to tell the truth, he was also quite surprised by their behaviour. What happened to that cocky eagle that Silviene pretended to be?

"Only keeping watch." Abina replied softly. Affectionately, Nigel gazed over at her. Her big, mineral blue eyes were dazzling tentatively and the purple florescent designs scattered over her wings were shimmering in the dull light. She looked like the nurturer type; this dirty job didn't at all suit her. When Abina caught sight of the fondness in his brown eyes, she looked at her talons and smiled a little. It was like he cared for her. Not like her brother Silviene, who used her for poaching, but like a counseling friendship that could blossom.

Then Nigel turned away. He had to go according to plan. "You three look weary. Why don't you rest in the other room? I'll guard." at his tone, the three nodded rapidly and evacuated the room in a hurry. Nigel chuckled. Now, to start... Taking a look at his surroundings, he spotted an emergency exit button, to open the door when needed. It was common for a plane to have that. Then, a magnificent smile took his face. Perfect.

He leapt down from the cage, landing on the ground gracefully, and strutted towards Rafael's cage first. He picked at the lock and let the glossy black toucan out, turning to Jewel's. Her eyes had crossly looked away, and she stubbornly refused to turn to Nigel as the sky blue bird was freed. The ashen cockatoo felt a little guilty, causing him to smile softly. "Sorry, Jewel. You are a great friend. It wasn't easy to lie to you."

Jewel slightly turned her head towards him, looking hurt. "Yeah. I always felt that you might turn to Marcel again." startled, Nigel shook his head. He was trying to apologize for _acting_! He tried to talk, but Jewel interrupted. "You have your ways, we have ours. Nothing to be ashamed of. But why are you freeing me?"

Rolling his blood shot eyes, Nigel grunted. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe there's a possibility that I was apologizing for the inconvenience of not telling you my escape plan?" Jewel stared at him, stupefied. Nigel glared. "Yes, I know. You actually thought I would betray you like that." the cerulean bird blinked and looked down, guilty. She actually looked like she was about to cry. Apologizing, Jewel embraced the large cockatoo warmly and then hurried to free the others. He was frozen in place, thinking that Jewel must have been desperate for a hug or something, before shaking the thought away.

Fifteen minutes later, a group of beautiful Brazilian birds stood before Nigel, looking to him for a plan. The bird simply puffed his chest out instead and gazed around the room thoughtfully. There was the escape button-handy-and there wasn't much else. Crates, cages, and rubber bands scattered everywhere.

With a sigh, Nigel turned back to these birds. They still looked at him with fear shimmering in their blue, green, yellow, hazel and, for one, golden eyes. He was slightly taken aback; he was trying to _help_ them, not _hurt _them!

But he decided, quietly, to ignore it. Using his crest, he pointed to the button on the far side of the wall. "There," he whispered, hushed. The birds before him gazed in that direction and nodded solemnly.

Blu stood off to the side, his bronze eyes fixed on the rubber bands and the mahogany hue lit up with an idea. Nigel scampered over, and the blue bird acknowledged his presence with a glance. The azure macaw was intelligent enough to detect lies as well; he could also take a guess that Nigel learned in his Fly Hard training.

"See here," said Blu excitedly, "We can make a rope out of these. We chain them together, and they'll add up to one big rubber string." at this, Nigel nodded. Brilliant.

"But how can this help us escape?" objected the other influential part of Nigel. The cockatoo stared down at the strands of stretchy pink and brown rubber, his eye brows furrowing into a frown. The thought of Silviene being so nervous still had him slightly shaken. "I mean to say... What part of the escape plan includes rubber bands?"

"None, yet..." replied Blu. His face was thoughtful.

"Come again?"

"Don't worry about it; for now we can-_WATCH OUT_!" his screech came too late. Something strong slammed Nigel into the tough metal flooring, griping his sides so tightly Nigel thought he would burst. Tight talons enclosed him and pierced into his wings, breaking skin. Agony pulsated through his entire body. Nigel huffed for breath, but the grip was gnarled around his chest, making it impossible to draw in air. A menacing voice hissed at him, causing Nigel to sputter in disbelief.

"Oh, my rest was short, ugly. But how was the guarding?"


	16. Chapter 16: Goodbye

Chapter Sixteen: Goodbye 

He faced the eagle, staring deeply into the depth of his earthy green eyes. He felt his vision begin to fuzz, and tried to suck in a breath, only to weaken his body in the attempt. His lungs screamed for air. The crest on his head began to bristle. Fear filled him completely, knocking his combat skills out of his head for a split few seconds. All Nigel could really see was Silviene's face, and the rest around it blurred black. Tunnel vision.

"So," the white tailed eagle snarled, oblivious to Nigel's suffering. Or ignorant? "Guarding was too difficult, no? How about suffering?" with those words said, the eagle extended his talons around Nigel's neck, unhurriedly squeezing. The chalky cockatoo coughed and struggled to breathe in, feeling his lungs fail. His vision became denser by the passing moment. "I suppose I have to clean up your mess once you're gone," Silviene continued, with a sarcastic sigh. The grip tightened. Agony spread through the course of Nigel's neck, and the bird suppressed a screech of pain.

"Who says... That I'll... Leave the mess...?" Nigel choked out, flailing in Silviene's grip. Then he forced himself calm. His muscles relaxed, his crest flattened, his eyes half-closed. _Offense_, Nigel thought deeply. Suddenly, it came to him. The ashen cockatoo slipped his talons from underneath Silviene, using incredible force to shove the eagle off. Catching his breath, the cockatoo then lay there, his chest heaving as air filled his lungs. His sight became clear enough to see the eagle being sent soaring into wooden crates.

Nigel heaved himself from the floor, his throat aching. Then, a few meters away, was Silviene struggling to breathe in. Nigel flew up and barrel rolled downwards, colliding with the winded eagle, hearing something crack. The black and brown bird breathed in sharply, writhing in pain. Nigel had broken his rib. Then, as the drawn and strong cockatoo stared down mercilessly, Silviene glared hatred-filled, crossed in with suffering.

"You poach a chick and bring harm to her. You threaten my allies and make bats ambush us. You smuggle us all and taunt us. You ship us off. And all for what? For me, to end this, right now." Nigel hissed, his creamy yellow crest puffing up. His talons squeezed Silviene callously, making the broken rib massage into the eagle's chest. Silviene moaned in pain, struggling to fight. Nigel could see the bird suffocating slowly. "This ends in the here and now."

A screech sounded from behind Nigel, and a strong beak grabbed his scruff and tossed him insensitively to the side. Nigel skidded across the bronze flooring, trying to grab his bearings, and felt another shape attack. Sagar snarled as he kicked the cockatoo in the stomach, causing him to double over. Then the kin of Silviene shoved at Nigel, slamming the bird into the ground. The pallid cockatoo felt another blow to his head, the bruises beginning to twinge. Pain seared through his exhausted muscles.

"Get off of him!" shouted a familiar voice; Nigel flinched at who the headstrong female was. _Jewel..._ He thought, weakness washing over him. _Don't do it... Not again... _The cockatoo lifted a wing to where the voice came from, hoping that the cerulean bird would know. When silence was heard, followed by quiet crying, Nigel relaxed. The diversion gave him time to recover strength. With an astounding snarl, the snow-white bird thrust himself heavily upward, sending Sagar stumbling back. For split seconds they stared at each other, waiting to strike.

A noise of descendant came across them, and the entire plane turned sideways. Everything came crashing down around them as all the cages, crates-and birds-were falling to the gravitational side of the plane. Nigel heard past the screaming and shouting that Marcel was pulling at his hair, yelling that the plane has lost control. Panic flooded Nigel. The emergency button was on the ceiling- or rather, the other wall. He could reach it.

But as he struggled to stand up, a crate thundered down towards him. Nigel's crest immediately flared on end in fear, causing him to lose his footing on the gleaming metallic metal. The cockatoo shut his eyes tightly and braced for the painful impact.

Agony shot through his outstretched wing. The crate had come and gone, leaving an elicit in its wake. He opened his eyes again and studied it, before the shock settled in. Nigel sat, stupefied at the deep and serious wound, then dizzily tumbled over. The blood was evacuating his body rather quickly. The cockatoo felt cold, so cold... His vision once again became dense. A voice screeched his name, but all he heard was a loud ringing wracking his brain. Disoriented, Nigel stood up, trembling, only to fall over again. But this time, something caught him.

Rafael gently lifted Nigel to his feet, holding the cockatoo's injured right wing to his body to stop the blood. "I've got you. Hold on." he said, supporting Nigel with the left wing around his shoulders and then reaching one of his own wings to pressure the wound. Using Rafael's aid, they both climbed atop the cages and debris. "Jewel and Blu have the others safely on everything," explained the black and white toucan, his maple eyes shimmering with force. "Blu vowed that everyone will get out alive."

Nigel, too disoriented to reply, moaned instead. His head throbbed achingly, and his wing stung like vehemence. "Ugh" was all he managed. Rafael laughed softly at this and carefully pulled Nigel up the last bit of crates, where a flurry of sky blue feathers screamed at the sight of the beaten and wounded cockatoo. "_NIGEL_!" Jewel cried, rushing to his side in a hurry. Blu followed quickly. "All these bruises! Sagar was really vicious with you! Where'd the wing wound come from?" a hurricane of words threw themselves at Nigel. The ashen white cockatoo smiled weakly.

"Let's just say... A box attacked me." the blood loss had weakened him. Jewel reached out with a soft wing, but he flinched away from her touch, narrowing his eyes. Though pain stilled him as weak, Nigel remained fiercely independent. "I'm fine." the macaw glared.

"No, you're _not_ fine! Not even close!" she shouted in reply, stumbling when the plane churned again. "In fact, _we're _not fine! We have to go!" Blu studied Nigel's wounds. There was a strange look on his daunted azure face, like helplessness.

Nigel scrambled to his feet, searching around. The button was there- just above him. Leaping up with all the strength he could muster, Nigel slammed his good wing down on the red florescent stud. There was an explosive sound that rang throughout the plane and the doors opened to reveal brilliant light milking its way into the plane. Blu and Nigel exchanged a momentary look and remembered Silviene. They hopped down the crates with the others screaming out for them.

Blu pulled something from under a crate to uncover a chain of rubber bands. He must have built those when Nigel was pinned to the floor by Silviene. "Here, tie him up with this." said Blu, hopping over to Nigel. The cockatoo examined it carefully and nodded. Then the azure macaw and the ashen white cockatoo began to walk towards Silviene, both mahogany pairs of eyes flickering as the wind gushed through the wide open door.

The eagle snarled at their approach. Antagonism shone even though he struggled not to show weakness, and as Nigel stepped forward, Silviene leaned away. "Give me the rope." Nigel ordered, holding out his wing. Blu handed it to the cockatoo and watched as he thoroughly wrapped it around Silviene, who was spitting in rage. "Temper, temper." the ashen bird muttered mockingly, gritting his beak in frustration. Then he tied the rubber to a cage linked into the wall, doing a fake salute before moving back to Blu. "Let's go-"

Nigel doubled over as his wing throbbed. He bit the bottom part of his beak and writhed in agony, trying his best to ignore the searing pain. Blu scurried to his side, supporting the injured cockatoo with a shoulder as Rafael did. "We've got to get out of this plane. Then get Tulio-we're going to make it. I know we will." Blu breathed, clambering over fallen cages. "This is one big nightmare." Nigel had to agree. But there was one thing in Blu's speech that Nigel couldn't accept as true.

Sagar, trapped under millions of cages, gasped for breath. Upon searching he saw the smuggled birds, gathering on top of crates and such, and snarled bitterly. He could just barely turn his head to see Silviene, who was tied to an enclosure in rubber strands. Abina had remained in the other room with Marcel; he wondered how she was now, with the plane receiving a rather serious mishap. But then again, she _can _fly. So she can get away.

Nigel paused and looked outside. It was beautiful in the sky blue air, where the heavens were slowly clouded. Blu glanced over his shoulder to see Nigel hesitating. "What are you doing? Let's go!" exclaimed the azure macaw, rushing back and trying to guide the cockatoo. Nigel pushed him away. Startled, Blu found his bearings and gaped. "We have to go!" the group of poached birds made their way to the door, joining Nigel and Blu.

"_You _have to go."

Every bird held their breaths as Nigel continued.

"My wing is holding me back. If I can't fly, which I can't, then I'll drop like a rock. No one is strong enough to carry me. So, Blu, you have to go. Return to your family." Nigel couldn't bring himself to look any of his allies in the eye. He was frightened of dying, but fearless of death itself. Jewel was sobbing, her eyes dripping with tears of sorrow and despair. Aadi, beside her, couldn't comprehend what was going on and so she buried her head into Jewel's wing comfortingly.

Then, Rafael slowly guided Jewel towards the door, casting a painful stare at Nigel. Jewel struggled against the toucan's gentle black grip, her teal eyes blazing with determination. She broke free, wings that were a majestic blue outstretched towards Nigel. This time, the cockatoo didn't mind the embrace. In fact, he returned it tightly. "Goodbye, Jewel. One of my first friends." he whispered, feeling her head dig into his shoulder with another sob wracking her body.

All things have to come to an end eventually. Jewel stood up, her chin shaking slightly, her eyes stained with tears. Nigel gently reached a feather to support her chin, raising it to face his maple eyes. "You were a good friend." he said, before gently lowering his grip. The macaw nodded, as if his words made sense, and her weakened face was replaced with strength.

Aadi, catching the grasp of what just happened, screeched and ran forward, tackling the white bundle of feathers. Nigel just barely laughed at her way of saying goodbye, of which he sadly watched the beloved chick burying her face into his belly. The ashen cockatoo reached down and rubbed her forehead. "Bye, Aadi." he murmured, watching tears gush from her rosy-outlined eyes. Slowly, Nigel picked her up and cradled the chick like she was his own.

"**Hush those tears,  
Let them dry free.  
So leave the weeping  
To our willow tree**."

She nodded gradually, looking drowsy. Rafael walked forth, where Nigel handed the chick over. The cockatoo spoke incomprehensible words to the toucan, of which the bird smiled and nodded. Blu could only see it as if Nigel were asking a question or planning something. Aadi instantaneously shot up in the toucan's grip and cried for Nigel, but the male cockatoo could only press his beak together and sigh. Jewel slowly trailed after Rafael, tears once again filling her beautiful eyes. Those of which glanced at Blu inquisitively, who stood right in front of Nigel, his ocean blue wings clenched.

The snowy bird held Blu's determined gaze as Jewel hesitantly flapped her wings and abandoned the plane, followed by Rafael with Aadi in his talons and the rest of the group of Brazilian birds. Then there was only the roar of a deteriorating engine as the two remaining birds stared at each other. "Please, Blu." pleaded Nigel, "We both knew that this day was coming. It was a little early, but we both knew it. Go. Jewel can't stand losing you as well."

Blu's eyes softened into sadness, and then hardened in self-inflicted anger. The wind blew their feathers cruelly, thundering as the plane neared land level. "No! I promised everyone would get out alive!" Blu cried, crossing his wings. "You can't just give up! So, your wing is injured. We can fix that! What about everything you're leaving behind, Nigel? What about Aadi?" the cockatoo lowered his head in defeat. Blu shook his head slightly. "No. Don't do it."

Suddenly, Nigel advanced towards Blu. "Don't take this personally." He said, lurching forward with his frosty wings. They collided with Blu's azure chest, causing him to tumble back. Then the floor beneath him vanished, and then the cobalt macaw realized with shock that Nigel had just pushed him off the plane.

The blood roared in his ears. Or was it the plane? The wind became fiercely stronger as Nigel braced himself for horrid impact. Apprehension drenched him wholly and his heart was in his throat, oxygen coming in with rapid inhaling. His pure washed-out feathers flickered and his smooth yellow crest bristled. The cockatoo's chocolate eyes shrank in absolute terror.

Then, as the plane was meters from the ground...

... The world exploded.


	17. Chapter 17: Life

Chapter Seventeen: Life

Blu screamed, flying into an air pocket to regain his balance in the air. He couldn't believe it. Nigel's second act of integrity included shoving him off a plane. The azure macaw shook his head as the plane whipped past, just barely missing him. Blu turned his head away. He couldn't bear to watch. After all, it was his fault. He should've stayed behind, figured something out how to save them both. Why hadn't he done just that? The blue macaw hissed and flew to ground level.

Fear prickled in his skin. He could think of a million things that he could have done: gotten Nigel into a crate and pushing it off the plane, using the rubber band to make a cord, slide down it like a vine. The list could go on, if Blu weren't so depressed. "Nigel, why did you push me?" the macaw whispered, his eyes brown and glassy. "Why at all... I could've helped you..." the macaw trembled, covering his face with both wings. "Oh, what have I done...?"

The ground rumbled gently, and Blu flinched. The plane crashed in the heart of the jungle. The noise was loud enough to be heard from miles off, only to be a heavy reminder that the macaw was helpless to do anything for Nigel. Blu sat down, his mahogany eyes glazed over with despair. But then, Nigel's words rang through his head: "Jewel can't stand to lose you as well." the macaw shifted, looking up. The cockatoo was right. He had to return to his family.

And maybe, just maybe, he could go to the plane crash sight and look things over. Blu stood up and opened his wings in preparation. He became airborne to the wind, gliding gently through the forest. It was like any other day; sunny, warm, brilliant- but it all seemed like a foolish trick to Blu. His hollowed tree came into sight. And inside was Jewel, crying while three little chicks huddled to her, trying to comfort their temporarily only parent. Affection filled Blu as he heard Crystal mumble, "Mama, it's okay! You still have us!"

"And me," added Blu, landing safely inside. Alexis looked him up and down, identical eyes widening. He, Crystal and Kathy ran forward and cried into his welcome wings. Blu hushed them quietly, holding them tight. "It's all right," he murmured. "I'm here now." the chicks sniffled, wondering where he and Jewel had been, but figured that since it seemed much like a dark moment that they wouldn't bother asking. "Papa will take care of you and Mama, okay?" the chicks nodded and broke free of his grip.

"Jewel?" tentatively, the male macaw walked forward. The sky blue bird had now glassy teal eyes that stared at him blankly. "Are you okay, honey?" He leaned down and held her wing, stroking it. Blu then sat down beside her and gestured for his chicks to settle on his lap. Jewel slowly came to her senses as Blu whispered, "We did experience a loss... But our chicks need us." she gradually nodded, tears blinked away.

Then the family remained there, huddling to each other to comfort. Blu had his wings around the chicks and his mate. His eyes watched the sway of a familiar willow tree. Never again would Nigel sit on the branch, watching the setting sun. Never again would he wake up before a storm, stretching his wings luxuriously in the moist air. Never again would he see the little chick that craved his life. The bundle of red and white feathers... Aadi... Aadi.

He wondered how she was holding up. Probably bawling her eyes out, with Rafael sheltering her with cradled glossy wings. Blu pictured the toucan repeating that last-minute bit of baby rhyme that Nigel created. The macaw thought it to be a very sweet and comforting song; no wonder that Aadi nearly fell asleep in his white wings. The azure feathers of his prickled. He should start looking for where the plane crashed.

Without hesitation, Blu glanced over at his mate. He should tell her where he was going. "Jewel," Blu whispered, gently prodding her with a wing. The sky blue macaw looked up at him, her eyes more lively than before. "I'm going to look for the plane crash sight." he stood up, but not before lifting the now sleeping chicks into the nest. Then his wings stretched out, preparing to take off.

"I'm going with you." said Jewel, sitting up and sighing. Blu dropped his wings immediately in shock, but before he could ask any questions, Jewel cut him off. "He was my friend too. I want to find his body... If there is one. Do you think I'm going to sit here and wait for something to happen?" the female macaw's sassy side had returned. That meant that she was determined. Leaping to her feet, the macaw followed her mate out into the open.

"Let's find Nico and Pedro. They can watch the kids." called Blu. Jewel nodded and swerved towards a nest perched on a mango tree branch. That was both their home. And, sure enough, a yellow canary was joking around with his cardinal companion. When they spotted Blu and Jewel heading their way, they happily shouted out to them.

"Yo, lovebirds! Where you been hidin' yourselves?" seeing the disheartened look on Jewel's face, Nico stopped and frowned.

"Something wrong, hotwing?" the canary asked as she dropped down beside him. Jewel shook her head and told him everything that had happened, from being smuggled to Nigel's unknown death. The golden canary gaped at his rosy crested friend. "Yo Pedro, did you catch all of that?" he gasped, shocked somewhat. Then, turning back to the female blue macaw, his chocolate eyes glazed over. "Somethin' we can do to help, baby bird?"

"Well, actually..." Jewel said, rubbing her wings together. "We're going to look for the... Body. Can you watch the kids?" her soft voice made Nico sympathize her. He nodded, then turned to Pedro, who repeated the motivation. Then they patted Jewel on the back sorrowfully and flew off in the direction of the chicks. Then Blu and Jewel exchanged a glance and flew off again, scoring through the jungle.

Thoughts ran through her head. Why had Nigel just given up? He had so much to live for! And not to mention that he left Aadi. But Jewel remembered that it was not without hesitation. She remembered the pain in his maple eyes, holding back the possible sadness as he held the chick in his wings. She could remember the hesitation he did when handing her to Rafael, whispering to the toucan. She wanted to grasp Nigel's voice again, but it was one of a kind and hard to remember.

Guilt clawed at her. Jewel could no longer hide the tears that she choked back, and let them run silently down her cheeks. She was about to find Nigel's ashen corpse and remains of the bronze plane, but it almost felt she didn't want to. She didn't want to see his possibly twisted body. The scarlet bloody wounds. The agonized form his soul left in. She just wanted him to be in peace, not feeling anything when death came down upon him.

"Jewel, look." Blu said, pointing one of his azure wings down. She followed his mahogany gaze, and saw bits of gleaming metal. "Let's go check it out." continued Blu, with a sympathetic frown. Jewel nodded weakly and dove, alongside Blu, to the forestry floor below. Her brown talons touched the soft, leafy ground, yet her cerulean legs wobbled. Blu wrapped his wings around her in a hug, before guiding her through a path of trees. There was a clearing that occupied a completely destroyed plane.

"Don't look now," Blu murmured slowly, "but I can see Nigel." Jewel removed her gaze from the crash sight. Instead, she leaned into Blu, scared at what she might see. Then the female macaw opened her eyes bravely. And on the soft ground was a lifeless Nigel, scarred. His wings were bent terribly and he looked like he had been in great agony. His white feathers were stained with scarlet blood. Blu rushed forward to the cockatoo's side. Jewel lingered back, sobbing at the poor condition.

"Nigel.." Blu rested his azure wing on Nigel's neck. "You risked your life to save us. I don't know-" something beneath his wing moved. Assuming it was just feathers, Blu continued his speech. "I don't know how to repay you. You simply really were trying to be honest and to-the-core. I'm sor-" the movement happened again. Squinting, the blue macaw pressured his feathers into Nigel's neck. There it was! Almost as if something were... Pulsating...

At that moment, _nothing_ could describe Blu's joy. "_JEWEL_!" he screeched. She looked over at him with an alarmed and confused stare.

"_JEWEL, HE'S ALIVE_!"


	18. Chapter 18: Tulio

Chapter Eighteen: Tulio

Tulio laid peacefully, his tanned skin feeling the warmth of the glorious golden sun. The mahogany brown hair tufts waved and flew with the current of the wind and he felt the hammock beneath him sway gently. His eyes were closed as he quietly daydreamed of life as a bird, imagining his wings spreading out like a finch and leaping out of the nest for the first time. Then the Brazilian man sighed, turning over slightly, and wondered how Blu and Jewel were. He hadn't seen them in a couple of days; it was only natural that the concern for those last spixs macaws was large.

Fernando was sharing the hammock. They watched as buds whizzed past their faces, feeling the air of the afternoon beginning to moist. Few clouds were gathering for an upcoming storm. "About time," Tulio stated, his auburn eyes gazing upon the gray features. Fernando nodded in agreement. Then two breathed in soft sighs and looked at each other. Tulio spoke first. "Have you seen Jewel or Blu lately? It seems like they've almost gone missing. It's starting to make me worried." Fernando shook his head, unable to answer or reassure his father. The dark brown curls of his hair bobbed lightly as the boy lay back.

But then again, Jewel had always been a fighter. Blu was an intelligent one. So the dark skinned boy managed the think of a response for his concerned kin. Fernando thoughtfully began to think about Nigel. It'd been a while since he'd worked with the smugglers, and each time that Nigel caught Blu or Jewel, they managed an escape. "Wherever they are, I think they're gonna be fine." His son replied steadily, yawning as the heat of the sun increased. "As long as they have each other, that is." Tulio shrugged, sitting up. The thirteen year old glanced at his father momentarily before asking, "Where are you going, dad?" The man stood on his feet and stretched easily.

"I'm just going to the sanctuary. There're some birds to be tended to. Want to come? I can show you how to set straight a broken wing." Fernando shuddered. He wasn't used to such blood, and so much squirming, and it made the child fairly uncomfortable when Tulio asked him if he wanted to learn. The dark child nearly gagged one time when a bird was found in the forest, smeared with scarlet red blood. It was revolting.

"N-no, thanks, Dad." answered Fernando nervously, swinging back into the hammock. Tulio laughed at his son's response and was very amused at his perplexity. After all, when he was a young boy, it blood used to make him shudder too. But that was what made Tulio want to help birds. He didn't like seeing the blood and had a sudden urge to clean it away so that the injured creature wouldn't have to spot the blood itself. Tulio had learned how to cleanse it purely and keep the wound uninfected as well, and he had a vet-like career later on.

Then, eased, the care taker walked from the porch and into his home. The smell of mushroom soup filled the air; Tulio moved into the kitchen to find Linda at work, her sleeves rolled up as she ladled the soup. The kitchen was steamy and suburban, with black and white tiles as the floor and plain white walls. The counter settled to his right and stretched from each side of the room, turning smoothly at corners. They were a deep mahogany brown.

Then, there were the appliances. The counter eventually split in two, leaving a space to fit a sleek black fridge. It gleamed in the bright light. The stove fit snugly in the empty corner, the swirls of heat light up a scarlet. The gleaming pot of which Linda used was bubbling at the warmth. "Leenda, I'm going to the sanctuary, okay?" he called, stalking into the other room to fetch his coat. The Brazilian brunette wrapped it around his shoulders and slid it down his arms. Tulio then just barely heard his red headed wife's muffled reply, and opened the door creakily. The afternoon light leaked in. "Bye, honey!" said Tulio, exiting his suburban home.

He waved to Fernando, who smiled in return, then hurried through the streets of Ipanema. A cool breeze shuffled through the brown locks of his hair and Tulio sighed happily. He felt ever so grateful that Linda came to Rio de Janeiro. The streets were chalked full of people juggling and talking, playing music and dancing with samba. His gaze lingered to a stall with fruit before removing it, scurrying down the busy path.

As he arrived at his sanctuary, Tulio looked it up and down. The wind blew around it, making it appear almost eerie. Yet the wind chimes twinkled peacefully, lessening the fatality of the scene by a lot. Heaving a smell of hibiscus and irises, he walked forth to the door and opened it slowly. Chirping erupted at once; birds of all species demanded his attention while flying to his shoulder. Tulio cheerfully held out his arms and allowed them to land. A cerulean blue finch snuggled up to the tanned man's neck, chirping contentedly.

"Why, hello there, little bird!" he laughed, hurrying to his desk. The window was resting right in front of it. The sky was darkening with a passing hour, and he had a distinct feeling that it was going to rain soon. Thunder boomed just beyond the horizon. He thought he heard a crack, but when Tulio listened, he heard nothing else. Shrugging, he sat down and took a pencil in his hand. There were forms scattered everywhere across his desk; needless to say, he had a _lot_ of work to do... _Crack_! Tulio looked up sharply at the window. Nothing was there.

_Crack! Crack!_A couple of stones slammed into the glass, causing a clinking noise. "What on earth..." muttering, Tulio gently dismissed the birds accompanying his shoulders and opened the window. At once, a bundle of beautiful azure feathers shot through. The man yelped and backed away as the bird clung to his glasses... Until he recognized Blu. "Hey! Where've you guys been? I was looking everywhere!" Blu let out a shrill, worried cry and looked over at the window of which he came from. Glancing at Tulio again, he shot back outside, desperately looking down and back. He let out another cry.

The bird then dove downwards, wanting Tulio to follow. "Blu, is something..." walking to the window, Tulio looked down and let out a gasp of horror. There, on the ground below, was a pale white bird stained with scarlet blood. It was just barely breathing. "... Wrong..." letting out a shout, the Brazilian man rushed down the stairs and burst through the door. He ran around the sanctuary, meeting up with Blu and a disheartened Jewel. "How did thees happen?" Tulio exclaimed, shocked thoroughly.

Blu sadly let out a croon, shuffling close to Jewel. He pointed back into the jungle, gesturing to the smoke that faintly descended into the clouds. "I'll check it out later..." mumbled Tulio. He picked the weak bird up carefully. He could've sworn that it looked completely familiar, but he shrugged it off. Maybe it was one if the ill birds from before. His chest heaved a big breath as Tulio filled his lungs with air, forcing himself calm. To get this bird safe, the tanned Brazilian man had to wrap him up with something.

"Come," gestured Tulio, offering an arm to Blu and Jewel. The male macaw hopped on happily, but his mate lingered back, uncertain. But, seeing as she had no other choice, the sky blue macaw joined Blu and the man they perched on went back inside. Worry had her filled completely. But as she saw Nigel being gently cradled in the curve of Tulio's hand, Jewel nodded. She had a feeling that he would be okay... At least, she hoped.

They watched as Tulio did some strange processes with machines. As the man placed Nigel in a card board box, he brought a machine in front of the injured bird. "That's an x-ray." whispered Blu, eyeing the machine. There was a sound of a click, and Tulio pulled the machine away. He examined a mechanical screen, revealing shapes of bones. "For some reason, that reminds me of 'I'm a feathery freak with a beak'," Blu chuckled, his bright mahogany glimmering with sadness.

The methods were over. Tulio looked at Blu and Jewel, who had jumped onto the window sill when he used the strange machines, and the two birds didn't miss the dark look on his face. "Hey, you two," the human murmured. "He's lost too much blood. There's a chance he could make it, but..." with a glance at the white cockatoo, he continued in a slight whisper. "There's a chance he might not."

* * *

Rafael sighed, rubbing his temples. He tried to coax Aadi into playing with the other chicks, but she refused to do so and simply sniffled. So she now sat in his lap, leaning into his white, soft chest. The toucan decided to wrap his wings around her like Nigel used to and then flinched when he caught himself remembering the stocky cockatoo. He'd tried to take his weary mind off of the previous events but was unsuccessful. But he had to be strong, right?

He could sense Aadi's sleepiness coming off of her in waves. The toucan chicks had tried to cheer her up but ended up ambushing her, which was why she resulted to never playing with them again. The cockatoo chick had such a traumatic time for a childhood... But now this? Losing the only one who could have cared for her until a willing couple had chosen to adopt her? Why was fate so cruel? Rafael pitied Nigel too, but right now he had to focus on what needed him at that moment.

"Rafael..." Aadi huffed, her big golden eyes looking up at him. "Why did Nigel do that?" Tears were gushing from her marigold stare; the toucan could only sigh again and shake his head. He wanted to tell her. He wanted to tell her that Nigel did it to save her and the others. That he did it so she can have a life with peace and happiness. That he loved her. But Rafael couldn't bring himself to explain it all. Love was strong, but so complicated...

"I don't know..." Was what he answered in reply. His chocolate brown eyes glimmered slightly with grief, and she responded with another sob. Alex scampered over, and Aadi stopped her tears to look at him. The toucan chick was holding a sunset-orange hibiscus. The chick copy of his father smiled cheerfully and planted the flower in his grieving friend's head feathers, causing the scarlet headed cockatoo to smile. Then the glossy, black and white toucan chick scurried away again, playing with his identical siblings. Rafael chuckled. "For a second, I thought he was going to eat your feathers..."

Aadi giggled, dispite her tears. "I don't think so. He's far too nice." Rafael shrugged and thought, _he probably just sympathizes you, that's all_. But he listened to the cockatoo chick as she continued. "Alex only bites 'cause he thinks it's a game. I figured it out when they attacked me." She turned her head, allowing the angle to reveal a clump of feathers bitten out. "I yelleded-" Aadi paused, her tongue twisting. "I _yelled_," she corrected, "at him, telling him it's not nice to do that, and he stopped biting me. But he started to bite the others."

"Then that's probably the first telling-off he's ever understood. Maybe it's because that you're a chick as well." Rafael chuckled as the mood enlightened. "The most amusing thing is _seeing_ the chick tell another chick off." Aadi sniffled, wiping her eyes heavily. A smilet took form on her face. "So, are you okay with-"

"Rafael!"

Startled at his name, the toucan glanced at the opening of his hollow. Aadi bolted up right too. Blu stood there, panting heavily, his eyes lit up with excitement and fear. "Rafael," Blu heaved, "Come quick!" exchanging a glance, Aadi climbed onto the aged toucan's back as he prepared to became airborne and follow Blu. Fear filled her completely as they touched the sky. She didn't know what made her so nervous; she was safe in the clutches of Rafael. But it still drenched her in perplexity.

Blu led them to the sanctuary. Rafael was the first to gasp with wonder and relief. Aadi saw it seconds after and burst into tears again. There, in a card board box, was an unconsious Nigel. Rafael climbed through the window, eager to see how the cockatoo was doing. "He survived..." whispered the toucan, astounded. Aadi leaped off his back and dropped into the box. There, she stood quietly, taking his features. Tears were trickling down her cheeks.

Biting the bottom part of his beak, Rafael watched as Aadi walked forth and settled beside Nigel, protected in the curve of the frosty bird's wing. There, she leaned her body into his side and rested her head on his stomach. She started to cry again, her already stained eyes dripping. "Please," Aadi pleaded, her big eyes rounding. "Please be okay..." Then she called him something she never knew she would.

"... Papa..."


	19. Chapter 19: Love

Chapter Nineteen: Love 

Nigel awoke with tunnel vision. Everything was blurred and he felt dizzy, sort of tired as well. The most he could make of his surroundings was a silk white cloth on which he lay on his back yet leaned against something; a cardboard box that he was placed in before and a white light above him. Nigel assumed it to be a lamp. It was warm and comfortable in the area he was in. He let out a quiet groan as he noticed some pressure on his stomach, which he thought to be one of the bandages, but also thought it to be strange that the blood-stopper was warm.

Nigel only assumed these things because he didn't want to move his eyes.

After gaining strength, he finally looked and, with a look of affection growing in his face, noticed the warm and soft thing resting on his belly. Gently watching the worrisome figure, Nigel saw a scarlet red head snuggling her face into his plentiful gut; he felt shock and love flowing throughout his body. Aadi looked like she was asleep, and it appeared that she had been in that position for a very long time since the body seemed once-relaxed but was now tensed up. The pressure on his stomach increased slightly; the little chick was pushing her tiny body against his side in seeking compassion as a frown took place on her face.

As he had done many times, the ivory cockatoo reached out a wing and ran his feathers along the scratches on her face. There were some pretty deep bloodstained gashes that Nigel gaped at, but he rubbed her cheek comfortingly. He knew what was happening; the process was obvious. By the way Aadi 's frosty white wing clutched his stomach feathers harder told him that she was seeking comfort in the first place. Before the dream could get even worse, Nigel removed his wing. He couldn't do anymore for her.

Her peaceful breathing became rapid and hoarse; she looked incredibly ill. She was having a nightmare again. A yelp of fear escaped her throat; Aadi twitched in her sleep while cold sweat began to trickle down her forehead. And all Nigel could do is watch. If he interfered, she would think that she was being attacked. How he hated the pros and cons when it came to being a former poacher... Sighing, Nigel opened his chocolate eyes wider and studied his surroundings some more. He was by a window, where the sun couldn't reach. It had a view of the beach and jungle, and at that instant Nigel wondered where Rafael and Blu were. How long had he been out for?

A shrill cry of despair sounded from Aadi; the little bundle was whimpering. He resisted the urge to hush her gently for her own sake. Nigel didn't want to see her screech and wake to see him 'looming' over her; the cockatoo chick had enough dreams about him. "My pretty bird..." he murmured, heaving a sigh of melancholy and placing both of his wings together in thought. He tried to ignore the whines and flailing but failed, rolling one eye to the little chick and hesitantly reached on snowy white wing out to touch her scarlet head.

"I _was_ insidious, my dear. But you changed my future." He soothed, stroking her head and back. Aadi gave a slight whimper and pressed harder against Nigel. The shivers were lessening by the minute, much to his relief, and the young chick was breathing more deeply. The things that didn't change were the cold sweat and the fear and her iron clutch to his feathers. "Shh... It's all right... My little pretty bird, sleep peacefully. You don't need to have these nightmares anymore..." he hushed, gently running his wing on her soft white spine. Nigel smiled when Aadi relaxed ever so slightly and slumped against him.

"That's my girl... Sweet nightmares..."

He continued to rub her back in rhythmic patterns, whispering words of comfort to the baby. Then Nigel noticed something. Her sweat was gone, dried and left her feathers sticking up and over the place, and that of all things was noticeable, but that wasn't what he'd stared at. Tears were trickling down the younger cockatoo's cheek; alas a smilet was formed on her tiny face. Aadi was dreaming something normal and contented. _Good_. Nigel thought, letting his wing drop. That whole time he had stayed in his slightly leaning position while on his back. It hurt when he stretched his wings.

So now he stayed with a head on his stomach, a little figure bundling against his side. He rested the snow-white wing on Aadi to keep her warm. Nigel breathed deeply and thought about his mascot; the song. It was an unanticipated thought, but weren't they all like that? Something else came to mind.

"**I was hideous, insidious, and malicious.  
Yeah, that word was true...  
But I was saved from being vicious  
By someone I know... Which is you!**"

Aadi stirred in her sleep. Her eyes were no longer shut tight and were loose and bagging.

"**They say I was the King of Telling Novellas  
The envy of all the other fellows  
But I was pushed out for a Pretty Polly parakeet from Paraguay they called Patricious...**"

Frowning, Nigel looked back at Aadi. "Erm, which I _think _is a common name for a Paraguayan. Quite odd, though. Have you ever heard of the name 'Patricious'?" knowing she wouldn't answer, he chuckled to himself. "Well, I haven't." when Nigel tried to sit up, pain flared through his ribs. He sucked in a breath and settled back. It was the first time since he woke up that he noticed his body aching. "Wow. That hurts..."

Wheezing, the ashen white cockatoo held one wing up while keeping the other around the tired chick. Nigel delicately touched his chest and quickly pulled his wing away as it burned. He'd broken a couple of ribs, and they were just healing. "Great. Just lovely. I wonder what _else _is broken?" Unexpectedly, another voice answered.

"Your wings were, you had a concussion and were comatose for about two and a half weeks."

Nigel recognized the voice instantly and answered back with sarcasm. "That was a question not to be answered, Rafael." the glossy black and white toucan soared in through the window and landed on the sill. He looked sympathetic but gave the impression of pride. "Okay, what'd I do?" Asked the curious white bird, weakly closing his eyes for a moment. His slightly accented voice sighed. "Don't treat me like a hero. Remember what I did, those three months ago?"

"That's not what I'm proud about, amigo. What I'm proud about is the fact that you promised to pay the Brazilian birds back and lived up to it. You could have easily broken that vow, but you didn't. Another thing is that you pretended to be on Silviene's reasoning when, really, you were planning our escape while you went. That, Nigel, is what I call thinking with the heart. It was very brave." Rafael smiled fondly and retrieved his gaze to Aadi. "She was worried between both weeks, you know. She would curl up to you like that everyday." It was Nigel's turn to smile.

"Did she, now?" teasingly, the cockatoo moved his gaze to his stomach. "It looks like I'm plush enough to be turned into a pillow, hmm?" Rafael rolled his eyes playfully and shook his head, disagreeing. "Oh, don't lie to me. You think so too." Nigel pressed, giving the toucan a cocky smile.

"_Okay_... I give in. I thought that about you the first time I met you as well. Which was a rather random thing to think about a bird who has you pinned to the ground..." Rafael confessed with a half guilty smile. Nigel bit his own beak to keep from laughing, because he really hated the piece of laughter he was born with. It was also because he felt like his lung was ruptured. Then both gazes returned to Aadi's scarlet head, which was gently squishing the feathers on Nigel's stomach. Her metallic golden eyes were closed with dreamless sleep. "So after you're ribs are okay, which should be in a couple of days, everything goes to as planned on the plane...?" Asked Rafael suddenly, turning his head to Nigel. The cockatoo stared at him blankly.

"Yes."

"Because you love her like your own?"

This question made Nigel blink and slowly breath out, thinking. He looked over at the bundle one more time before staring back at the charcoal toucan. "I do. Yes, very much. If I don't do it, someone else will, and I might never see her again."

Rafael smiled once more. "That's thinking with what's down here." he gestured to Nigel chest. Nigel nodded.

* * *

He sat, daydreaming thoughtfully, when Aadi stirred. The warmth on Nigel's stomach faded as the chick lifted her rosy head, blinking the sleep from her chrome-gold eyes. He removed his gaze from the wall and looked at Aadi, and waited for her to see him. And as soon as she did, her eyes light up. "Nigel, Nigel! You're awake, you're awake!" she squealed, bouncing to her feet in excitement and love. Nigel laughed softly. _She sounds like a broken recording machine_. He mused, puffing out his pale white chest.

"I'm awake, I'm awake." he repeated with a playful grin. Aadi paused from beside him and clambered up onto his belly, a big smile on her face. Her golden eyes dazzled with happiness. Then she sat there, staring into his sugar brown gaze. "Hello, pretty bird." he whispered, feeling his heart soar with an incredible feeling that was impossible to describe. Aadi smiled so much that she looked quite uncomfortable, but it didn't matter.

Finally, Nigel understood how Blu felt about his wife and family. _When you feel it in your heart, it's like samba_, as Rafael loved to say. And the chalky cockatoo fondly allowed the samba of love overtake his heart and soul. As he stared at the chick-_his_ chick- the pale bird, for the first time, felt warmth burning in his heart. "Your laugh still sounds weird." Aadi claimed, her eyes dancing with kindled spirit. Nigel grinned and shook his head.

"Yes? Well, that can't be helped..." he said softly, reaching a wing to brush Aadi's cheek. Nigel felt all of his love and affection flow through his pure white feather tips, and into the chick that he now held. Love was such a powerful, amazing thing... Aadi closed her eyes and allowed her head to loll into his touch. She felt Nigel rub the wounds on her cheeks... The ones that Silviene caused. Then it brought her back into the memory, of the plane crash... The second one, that is.

"Nigel," Aadi sniffled, shifting from where she was settled on his belly. "I was so scared... I thinked that you wered gonna die." both of the birds were astonished and confused at Aadi's mispronunciation. She was supposed to be good with her vocabulary- instead, she was talking like a normal chick. Aadi held his wing. "Forget that happened," she covered, rubbing her face into his flight feathers. Touched, Nigel pressed his beak together and picked her up with one wing, gently making her hover in the air.

The chick squealed in delight and squirmed in his grip. "Niiiigel! Let gooo!" giggling as she descended, Aadi sat down on his soft belly again. Nigel stared with and affectionate smile, showing his love deeply. The cockatoo chick smiled in return, her marigold eyes bright and starry. Then, as a thought crossed her mind, her gaze darkened in sorrow and sadness. "Rafael says that my new family is going to adopt me in a couple of days from now."

Nigel frowned, looking pained. "Oh..." he said quietly. He sighed, looking out the window. "I suppose there's not much we can do for you," he observed, downhearted. Aadi looked down, in her lap, knowing that her times with Nigel were going to come to an end. That she'll never see him again. "Well, that's life. To get something, you have to lose something. Take it from somebody who knows." continued Nigel, his frown deepening. "I just hoped that we had a little more time..."

Silence. Then, "Nigel?"

"What, pretty bird?"

"I'm scared."

"Of what?"

"Of my new family. What if I don't like them? What if I don't _love _them?" Nigel could tell that she had thought his out nice and clear. He understood her concern; and he knew just the right thing to make her feel better. Pulling her to his neck (carefully avoiding his chest for obvious reasons), he whispered words of comfort.

"Think of love like a meter. When it's full, and you've shared it with everyone, you keep maintaining the love that you spread." Nigel breathed in softly. He gently nuzzled her with his beak, causing the chick to place a soft wing on it and giggle. He was only acting; he knew he was going to see her again. Sooner than she thought, too…

Aadi looked him up and down before snuggling into his neck, curled up like a potato bug. "If that's the case," she whispered sleepily, her marigold eyes shimmering with exhaustion, and tears...

"... Then my meter is already filled up."


	20. Chapter 20: Taken By Surprise

**A/N: I've decided to try something knew for the readers; listening to the right music while reading. If you want, you could go on YouTube and search for A Time Of Silence Ring Of Fates. It's the one at the top. If you do choose to do this, please tell me if you thought the music was right for this scene. (through review)**

Chapter Twenty: Taken By Surprise

The day was warm and brilliant, the sun spreading the golden heat all across Rio. The sky was clear, an eggshell blue, with creamy white clouds drifting from the horizon. Birds of all sorts were awakening to thing lovely day, enjoying the generosity of the weather. Though, there was only one sun that was unhappy about this day. Her eyes a gift rippled from the sun itself, they gleamed and shimmered in the light that bathed her. She awoke, snuggled up to eighteen toucan chicks, and slipped out of the hollowed tree in the morning.

Aadi hopped from the tree trunk to the branch, her heart pounding with fear. The sun was ascending slowly, allowing her to savour the last moments of her memories before her new family came. Well, actually- Rafael was taking her to _them_. But the cockatoo chick trembled with resentment. She wished Nigel were here. The scarlet headed chick ached for his love and fatherly figure, but now, like the moon, he was gone...

It had been a day since she'd visited him. His ribs were cracked just slightly then, and Nigel was going to be released because they were nearly healed anyway. Aadi remembered the conversation she had had with him, and tears threatened to drop from her magnificent eyes as the chick yearned to hear his voice again. And, as she leaned against the tree trunk, her mind took pity upon her and allowed her to reminisce.

_Aadi cried. Rafael had told her that this was the last day that she can visit Nigel. The cockatoo was sadly gazing at her, his maple eyes glimmering with regret. His smooth yellow crest was flattened fully as he inhaled, bristling as he exhaled. Aadi climbed to Nigel, her wings outstretched. "Please, Papa," she begged. Nigel's amber eyes widened with surprise as she called him that. But he embraced his lovely wings around her and picked her up, not able to bear her grief._

_"Shh, Aadi... We'll see each other again. Wait and see." he had comforted, gently rocking her back and forth. Yet something close the mischievousness passed behind his eyes, but the pale white cockatoo brushed it away. What was that? Why did a slight slip of a grin smoothen his beak when his amber eyes light up? Why on earth did that happen in a time like this? Nigel loved her just as much as she loved him. And that kind of connection was irreplaceable. So why couldn't she understand what he said by, 'We'll see each other again'? The chick sniffled, hiccups proclaiming her lungs._

_"But-" she started to protest, but Nigel held a soft feather to her beak, quieting her. Aadi sucked in a rapid breath, her tears staining her cheeks. The feathers on her face were soaked with the salty taste. He began to sing a lullaby, letting her relax in his wings. It was the song that he had sung to her on the plane. Aadi decided momentarily to sing along. "Hush those tears," she sobbed. It wasn't helping for her to force the words out. Instead, she listened to the gentle sound of Nigel's voice._

_"We'll see each other again," he said fiercely. And sooner and for longer than you think, he added inwardly with a smile. Nigel stopped rocking her and helped the tired chick to her feet. "Now, it's nearing your bedtime... Go, for Papa, okay?" the name felt strange on his tongue, but it felt warm. Without thinking, the cockatoo leaned down and planted a kiss on her forehead. Aadi kissed his cheek in response and wiped her eyes._

_Then, as she turned away, Aadi did not notice the secret smile that Nigel beamed towards Rafael before the toucan flew her back to her temporary hollow._

Her eyes flickered. Somehow, that mischievous look on Nigel's face and grin told her not to worry. It felt like he just told her to relax and be brave. Hold her chin up and smile. And then her life will turn out okay. "We'll see each other again," Aadi tried to comfort herself. The chick sighed, finally allowing tears to break the surface of her eyes, and watching the sun rise. A bird was happily whistling, as if trying to awaken the entire forest.

She found herself whistling along. The two voices broke the eerie silence, letting birds to scramble to their feet, eyes shut with sleep. Aadi smiled and took a deep breath, preparing to launch herself into a chorus of musical melody. Her white chest puffed out with oxygen. Then she whistled the tune, 'Real in Rio.' Though it wasn't exactly carnival, it was a rather enjoyable song. But then, it smacked her in the face because it reminded her of Nigel.

Instead, she sang quietly. "Sometimes you need a different kind of love to raise a child." the lyrics just came to her, but she had nothing else. Aadi then sighed, observing the now-late morning. The sun shone brilliantly, dappling the earthy green leaves with a splash of light. The sky richened into an azure blue, and the wind picked up slightly. "Oh, Papa..." Aadi whimpered. "Why does it have to be this way?"

"Are you ready to go?" Rafael came from behind, wrapping a black, shiny wing around her. The chick sniffled and nodded stiffly. Her thoughts were clouded and lonely. It was Nigel she loved, not some random strangers that were going to become her parents automatically! Was that what adoption was? To be taken up by some birds you don't even know, not even aware of whether you can trust them or not?

Or was it different? She pondered away as Rafael offered his back to her. Aadi clambered up his spine and sighed as she felt them both drop into the air. Then fear drenched her once again, as it did so commonly when she was airborne. Pressing herself into Rafael's back, Aadi blinked some tears away and tried to picture what her new parents would look like. Maybe they were macaws, like Jewel, or sun conures! She'd heard of those; they were apparently beautiful birds.

Or maybe they were cockatoos, like her. Rafael would probably pair her up with her own kind so she can get used to being with another species later on. Or perhaps they were finches? _No_, she decided. _They're too small to care for me_. Maybe they were parrots! Those gorgeous birds whose colors ranged from red to blue, with bright, starlit eyes. They were very friendly. But then, there were canaries; maybe Aadi's parents were those smooth yellow birds? Then again, there was a matter of size.

She hardly noticed when Rafael landed peacefully into a vivid patch of grass. The jungle around them was awake; flowers of all sorts were opening to seep up the sun; birds were stretching and becoming airborne. Aadi sighed. "Let's get this over with," she whispered, her eyes glowering. She hated every second. The cockatoo chick retrieved her gaze to the ground, sighing softly and refusing to forget about Nigel. Rafael gently guided her throughout the forest.

"What are they like?" Aadi couldn't help but ask. Her curiosity overpowered her fear and grief, and she found herself looking at the toucan with big marigold eyes. "I mean, what kind of personality do they have? Are they mean or nice? Are they my species, or something different? Will they like me? Will I like them?" These questions blurted from her mouth uncontrollably. She almost broke into tears, remembering Nigel's crest and chocolate brown eyes. She wanted him to come with her... Maybe even live with her.

"Hmm..." Rafael mumbled thoughtfully, walking through tall grass. "Well, what can I tell you about him? He's friendly, and he's a cockatoo as well, but not the same type. He's usually easy-going." Aadi noticed that he didn't answer the other questions and shrugged it off. "Hey, we're almost there." The toucan exclaimed suddenly, making a sharp turn through the grass. He paused for only a second, before looking at Aadi. "Close your eyes." He ordered. She did so.

"Now, hold my wing, so you don't fall over." Obeying, Aadi started to feel curiosity prickling at her skin. She stepped forward, feeling the light shift and change, bathing her with a darker shade of yellow. Her eyelids revealed a slight change of colour, almost as if they had entered a hollow in the forest surrounded by trees, turning the light to green. Rafael continued to walk forth, his wing around Aadi, until he finally stopped. "Here." purred the toucan. "You can open your eyes now."

One by one, both of her bright eyes opened. Everything was blue because she had her eyes closed for so long, and Aadi decided to study her surroundings. It, in fact, _was_ a hollow surrounded by trees. It was probably the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. Splashes of orange and yellow sunlight hit the ground here and there. The air was fresh and crystalline. Then, the chick moved her gaze to the bird in front of her and gaped, joy filtering her heart.

There, in front of her, was Nigel. "_NIGEL_!"

Aadi let out a happy screech and shot forward, cuddling him. Nigel laughed and scooped her up, twirling her around in circles. The sky suddenly seemed brighter and clearer to him. The air loosened and allowed him to breathe. The forest shone a pale shade of bright green. Everything seemed so much more... Beautiful. Now that Aadi was here. "I told you I'd see you soon, didn't I?" The cockatoo male teased, lifting her high above his head and spinning. The chick laughed and cried at the same time.

"But I thought... Wait a minute! Did you two plan this?" Aadi squeaked, looking to Rafael. The toucan nodded slowly. "But... Nigel, it hurt me so much..." The pale cockatoo held her against his shoulder, his head on her back. Aadi felt tears trickling down her face. "Thank you..." Nigel smiled.

"You know..." He whispered, "When we were on the plane, and it was about to crash, I asked if Rafael could do that if I lived. And I did, so..." Lifting her out in front of his face, Nigel looked into her eyes. "Do you want to live with me? To be my daughter, my sugarplum?"

"Yes." She murmured.

And for the first time in ages, Nigel saw those gorgeous golden eyes dazzle with true happiness.

* * *

**A/N: You didn't seriously think that I would try to seperate these two inseperable birds? Review and tell me what you think; oh, and there's only one more chapter to go...**


	21. Last Chapter: Past, Present, Future

_Often at times, I think. I think about my past, present and future. For my past, I wonder about what would've happened if I hadn't been fired, and was continuing my pampered and lovely life. I ponder about whether it would've been a good thing that I might never have smuggled the others, if that were the case. I decide that it would've been a good thing. But then again... I would never have met Freyja, and Aadi. Oh, Aadi... Pretty bird, you've done so much for me. I feel as if my life is everlastingly in debt to you._

_And as for what I think of my present, all I can say is that everything turned out okay. Silviene nor Sagar's bodies never were found, but Jewel and Blu are pleased with their kin, Rafael is content with his eighteen toucan chicks and their nasty habit of attacking other birds, and you, Aadi, are the most unsurpassed thing that could have ever happened to me. Though your nightmares are frequent, and my soothing doesn't always calm you... I love you so much. You know that._

_And as for my future... When I imagine you standing on your own two feet, my heart leaps with joy. I know that you won't be a chick forever... And I resent that... But all things must come to an end eventually. We should enjoy our present and remember our pasts, dream of our future only in the night. We should be happy with what we have; each other. When just a month ago, I had awakened from a coma, I recall making the decision of adopting you. It was such a thorough decision, but I had never been so sure._

_I remember finding the hill that our beloved willow tree grows on. You play on it so often, pretty bird- it warms my heart to see you do so. And I remember that it was that very hill that you broke your wing; a hidden rock rose from the grass as you rolled downward. I remember trying to warn you, but as you tried to slow yourself, it only made your altitude worse. Then I had run over and scooped you up into my wings, examining the badly bent bone. It was in ways it should not have been._

_Then, as I remember, a strange human called Tulio had taken you under his care. After he mended your wing in washed-out bandages, he decided to play with you... Or whatever those squawking noises were. And when his features neared you and the noises got stranger, he 'coincidentally' found me attempting to rip out brown locks of his hair. Instead he backed off and... Tried to talk to _me_. I remember thinking, _oh great_. And then scurrying off to Blu, shouting for his aid._

_Then you healed. It took two weeks, but you did. After that, you stayed near me and didn't run around the tree until a couple of days later, where Alexander forcibly chased you, threatening to eat your feathers. Then I watched you scurry across the vibrant grass, half worried that he might catch you. But... You were always the fastest. Then you seemed to hide behind me, and I remember Rafael dragging Alex away._

_Then the carnival of the month came around, and I sat back, not wanting to join in. It gave me bad memories. But as you danced with the other chicks and their parents, you noticed me off to the side. You ran towards me and then asked what was wrong; I told you, and you frowned. Then I remember you telling me that I gave you bad dreams, but that didn't prevent you from loving me. Those words carved into my soul, Aadi. Then you pulled me into the festivities._

_I didn't regret it._

_And I do remember a conversation we had one day, while walking the forest floor of the jungle. You were reluctant to fly, unlike other chicks. You were nervous at the thought, even. I had asked you about it._

_"I don't wanna fly 'cause it's learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss," was what you said with a rapid shake of your head. I had smiled at this and rolled my eyes, gently nudging you with a wing._

_"Oh, don't be ridiculous, you daunted dame!" I had exclaimed, continuing to stroll forth. You followed along rather quickly, with a serious look in your eye._

_"I'm being honest, Nigel! I'm scared of falling..." you whimpered and paused from beside me. I found out only shortly that you had aerophobia._

_And now, chick, as you curl up on my stomach and let yourself slip into your dreams, remember those times we had. They were good, bad and effective at the same time. They were strong, and taught you many things. And as I bid you goodnight, remember that I love you. I'll look forward to the times to come, and cherish the times I had. The essence of memory is the strongest thing in the entire world. Besides love, that is._

_I've lived a long, long time. I only knew you for a tiny fraction of that life... But I wouldn't have missed it for the world. And as I myself tuck in for the night, I do remember one last thing... It's that conversation that led me from dark thoughts and into the light._

_"Nigel," you said one day, hopping alongside me, "In your song, you said that you were unwashable and unrinsable." I acknowledged your curiosity with a nod. "But you didn't say anything about _big_ water."_

_"'Big' water?" I repeated, confused. Then it dawned on me. "Ooh, you're talking about waves, right, Aadi?"_

_"Right," you agreed with a contented chirp. "Nothing about waves. I think that the wave changed you."_

_And you know what, Aadi? I'm starting to think that too. Like winter preparing to take over summer, like fire overpowering a forest. Something changed deep inside of me the day my blocked feelings attacked me..._

_... Like a wave washed it all away..._

**End.**

**A/N: Rest assured; there's a sequel, called Two Sets of Eyes. After all, learning to raise a chick isn't going to be easy... and a familiar enemy holds a grudge, along with some traveling for the group and Nigel.**


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